


A Thousand Words

by for_blueskies



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akuma Possession, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst and Tragedy, Background Character Death, Emotional Roller Coaster, Everyone Needs A Hug, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Multi, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-05-27 01:57:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6265156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/for_blueskies/pseuds/for_blueskies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>altruism: noun<br/>1. The principle or practice of unselfish concern for or devotion to the wellbeing of others. <br/>2. Animal Behavior- behavior by an animal that may be to its disadvantage but that benefits others of its kind, as a warning cry that reveals the location of the caller to a predator.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter's a bit short, think of it as a preface?

"We're all born with scars. From the moment we open out eyes and look at the world we are wounded, and we all share that same mark."  
The toddlers wiggled anxiously under the arms of their mother. Wide green eyes stared at hers expectedly, waiting for her to finish.  
" _Bellybuttons_."  
Adrien laughed, as he always did with corny jokes, Felix stared back, his expression otherwise blank, with the exception of mild disappointment. This is how things usually were in the Agreste household. Felix and Adrien were kept busy while their father ran around doing more important things. They were polar opposites, but identical twins, which was ironic in its own way, and their mother never missed an opportunity to remind them. Adrien was more playful, when given a pile of books, he'd make forts, he'd stand on them to reach treats on high shelves. When Felix was given books, he'd read them.  
There was a clear choice as to who would take their father's place, when the time came.  
Regardless, both were adored, showered with presents and attention, which Adrien was always happy to receive, never turning down a piece of candy or kiss on one of his full cheeks. Felix was more... _aware_.  
There was a reason behind everything, even this materialistic praise. He knew people did it to win their father's approval, and he refused to be treated as leverage. He turned away when women tried to kiss him, he shook his head at the brightly packaged chocolates and rarely did he even accept books as gifts from his family's political partners.  
Even so, the table was always stocked with packages, and the library grew faster than Felix could believe. Adrien always had toys to play with while Felix was reading or studying, and at one time, even a cat. Adrien named the cat Sprinkles. He had struggled to think of a name for almost three days on his own before his mother offered help.  
"Name him after your favorite thing or person."  
Adrien wanted to name the cat Felix.  
The gesture was cute, but Felix refused to have a creature as odd as that cat named after him. The cat was named Sprinkles, Adrien's second favorite thing, apparently, and the name stuck.  
Their father was not at all fond of Sprinkes. He lived in the house for almost a year before 'disappearing', leaving poor Adrien heartbroken, and Mrs. Agreste furious. Felix didn't know Adrien to attach himself to things so strongly before, any toy or book he received lost his interest in a couple days, and other than himself, and his mother, there really wasn't anything he had an emotional attachment to.  
Sprinkles was the exception.  
Adrien was five at that point, Felix, though being more mature, was obviously the same age, and thus, had no _real_ experience dealing with someone as depressed as Adrien was at that moment. It was the middle of winter, but Felix insisted Sprinkles had been found by someone and kept safe, why else wouldn't he have returned?  
Adrien didn't believe him.  
That was the first of many, _many_ things to disappear from the Agreste house. The cat first, then silver, even their father seemed to be absent, despite his physical presence. The last, and biggest of all other losses, was their mother.  
When Felix was nine, he got his words. The following weeks it seemed he was getting new marks every day. Adrien received only a hollow circle.  
Felix complained that of the two of them, Adrien should have gotten more marks, since he was used to the attention. Adrien wouldn't have minded, but was concerned about not having words.  
When Felix was eleven, the Wars started.  
Adrien remembered waking up in the middle of the night, and being tugged from his bed. His father shook him, though he himself was still half asleep, and nearly dragged the boy outside. He remembered standing barefoot in the snow, the fabric of his pajamas wet against his ankles as he waited for his father.  
He remembered looking out at the city and watching it burn.


	2. Two

Adrien's lonely circle was now accompanied by one word.  
The day it appeared he hadn't noticed, not until one of the maids pointed it out, and when he looked at his collarbone, there it was. One word, a mere three letters, and yet he knew it meant everything. It was his first, or possibly the last word he'd say to his soulmate.  
He was horrified when he discovered it, as anyone would be. This is why the Wars had started. There were...mistakes.  
People partnered together by those words, spent their entire lives together, only to discover they were with the wrong person. People who's words were true that couldn't stand each other, people in arranged marriages who weren't fit for one-another. Some got tattoos to be with someone they weren't meant to be with.  
Some killed whoever was in the way of the person they wanted to be with, regardless of their own letters.  
The thought of being with the wrong person shook him, and the thought of being tied to someone who didn't love him back made him physically nauseous.  
The girls around him were elated, and all demanded to see his word. He refused. He begged Felix to help him conceal his word, almost in tears. Felix agreed, trying to comfort his brother as he patted makeup over the word.  
"It's not bad." He said. "Things will be okay. I have one, too."  
The thought of something bad happening to Felix made his stomach churn. "You can't promise me that."  
He was right, and Felix knew it. He sighed and smoothed over Adrien's messy hair. "You look more like her than I do."  
Neither of them spoke for a while, not until Adrien tugged the collar of his shirt back up and stood from his stool in the bathroom. "Thank you."  
"Where are you going?"  
"I don't know."  
There wasn't anywhere in this compound he really _could_ go. He wasn't allowed outside, the way things were now. He could go to the gym, train for a bit. He asked Felix if they could spar.  
Felix agreed with a shrug and they headed towards that area of the compound. It a large, almost vault-like facility. Food was grown inside, water pumped from a well inside, and anything else they needed delivered in secret. No one else in the world knew they were here.  
Adrien used to ask anyone he came across why they had to hide, but no one answered him. He still wasn't sure if they didn't know or just didn't want to tell him.  
Felix had been teaching Adrien how to fence, ever since they were young, and had first gotten here. Felix insisted it was just to combat boredom, but Adrien could feel it in the way he insisted Adrien always try his best that it meant something else.  
"Do you think anyone will find us here?"  
"Not if we don't want them to." Felix tossed a mask to his brother and put on one of his own.  
"Why don't we want them to?" He took one of the foils and handed the other to Felix, taking his starting stance.  
"I don't know. Paranoia perhaps."  
"About what?" Adrien was the first to swing when Felix nodded for him to begin, and quickly dodged one of Felix's blows.  
"I don't know. What other reason do people bury themselves underground?"  
Adrien tried to think, but avoiding Felix's careful swipes and lunges took over his thoughts. Somehow, Felix was able to keep up a conversation.  
"What do you think mom's mark-"  
Felix stopped, he straightened up and sighed, taking off his mask. "Adrien."  
He stood motionless, keeping his mask on to hide the clear frustration on his features. "What?"  
"He doesn't like to talk about her."  
"He isn't. _We_ are."  
"No we're not." Felix's grey eyes were sharp against Adrien's green ones, his glare was harsh, clearly Adrien had hit a nerve bringing up their mother. He wasn't wrong to want to avoid the topic, that's just how Felix worked. It was easier to pretend she was never here than remember the days when she was. He could avoid pain and conceal his emotions better than anyone else he knew. This was one feature Felix had inherited from their father, though he'd resent you for the comparison.  
"Are we going to fence or not?" He pulled his mask back on, his expression otherwise unreadable, aside from the clear anger in his eyes. They went on like this for an hour or two, Adrien's pestering, Felix ignoring, tossing in a sarcastic jab every once in a while.   
"Aren't you afraid your mark is wrong?"  
"The marks aren't wrong. What people _do_ with them is wrong."  
At his comment Adrien understood that his brother held no favor for the marks, and filed the information away. "Are you against the pairings?"  
Felix lunched, the tip of his foil connecting to Adrien's chest. "If this were a real sword you'd be dead."  
"I'd never get into a real swordfight with you."  
"If you keep stealing my sweets I _just might_ try to fight you."  
Adrien smiled and took off his helmet, sweat glued his usually voluminous hair to his forehead. "You have no proof it was me."  
"I found wrappers in your bed." Felix took his helmet off, showing no signs that their sparring had challenged him. No sweat, no labored breathing, the boy was a machine.  
"They were planted."  
Felix raised a brow. "By who?"  
"You, _probably_."  
Felix narrowed his eyes at his brother, opened his mouth to argue, and then shook his head. "You're ridiculous."  
"Say what you will, now that you've been _caught_."  
Felix scoffed and put his foil away, then set his helmet down where he had found it. "Ridiculous and childish."  
"That's why I'm the favorite."  
"You're **gullible**. That's why you're the favorite."  
"You sure it isn't my handsome features?" Adrien wiggled his eyebrows, Felix's face twisted in mock disgust. "I'm _absolutely_ certain your features have nothing to do with it."  
Adrien laughed and put his things away, quick to catch up with his retreating brother.  
"Ugh, don't touch me, you're all sweaty."  
Felix was half a head taller than him, so it was no easy feat, putting his arm around the boy's shoulders while he was moving. His longer legs put him at a faster walking pace than Adrien.  
"Is your love for me weaker than the smell of my sweat?" Adrien asked, feigning hurt.  
"Absolutely." Felix pushed his arm away. "Go shower, you smell awful."  
"Only because you don't go easy on me." He pouted, smelling his own shirt.  
"You won't learn if I go easy on you."  
"Why don't you sweat?"  
"Going easy on you isn't hard for me." He shrugged, his voice smug.  
"Jerk."  
"Weak."  
"Well, you're a candy hoarder."  
"Better than a candy _thief_."  
They didn't get into childish arguments like this very often, so Adrien was thankful for the banter. He had definitely stolen Felix's candy, and he was weak, definitely weaker than Felix, and he also hated fencing with a _passion_ , but doing so meant he could talk about more than books, or one-sided conversations with his father, when he was here, at least.  
He wasn't completely sure if these things he did really bugged Felix, or if it was just another thing to happen, as simple and routine as brushing the knots from his hair. He didn't seem to _mind_ Adrien pestering him, and Adrien hadn't really spoken with him about it before.  
The rest of the day went on as usual. They cleaned up, tended to the plants, gathered water, cooked and ate.  
Felix always thought it was strange that such a neglectful father could be so watchful. Nothing escaped his eye, any change in attitude was recognized, whatever the situation. He demanded, and received, answers.  
"What does it say?"  
Adrien pretended not to hear him, and looked around the table silently to see if someone else would answer. He prayed it wasn't him the question was addressed to, but when he looked forward through his lashes, there it was. The sharp stare of Gabriel Agreste.  
"What does what say?"  
Gabriel glared, and Adrien swallowed his food. "Your words."  
"I didn't get them yet."  
Gabriel straightened up and called for one of the maids. She came quickly, bowed and kept her head down until Gabriel sent her away with one simple instruction. "Bring Anabel here."  
Adrien's eyes widened, and he looked quickly at Felix, who was already staring at him.  
Felix seemed calm, his shoulders relaxed, but his eyes were narrowed. It wasn't anger, but concern, in his wide irises.  
Anabel came quickly, and immediately Adrien recognized her. She was one of the youngest, only nineteen, if he could remember correctly. He had always been able to point her out quickly, with her platinum blonde hair that stuck out at all sides in wide curls. She looked nervous, but started to bow, as all of the maids did, before she could greet his father, he pulled a gun from inside his suit jacket and pointed it at her, without an ounce of hesitation he pulled the trigger, and the loud bang made Adrien shout in surprise. Anabel fell backward, and the other maids cowered.  
Some cried, others stood in shock with their hands over their mouths.  
Felix bolted from his seat and stared. Adrien blinked numbly at the spot where Anabel was once standing, afraid to look away. He knew the body was there, this wasn't something he had imagined.  
His father just _murdered_ someone, without hesitation, without remorse or even an ounce of sympathy. He put his gun back and continued to eat, silent as everyone else in the room stared.  
"Despose of her." Gabriel waved a hand at the other maids, and on shaky legs they walked to her. With unsure glances and lips bitten together to conceal cries, they picked her up.  
Adrien could see only fear.  
Her eyes open, mouth closed and still pressed into a thin line, the rest of her face was relaxed. Still, with her face unmoving, her voice he knew he'd never hear again, he saw _fear_.  
It didn't look the way it did when he was scared, or even Felix. It didn't look the same way on the faces of the other maids. He couldn't quite point out how it was different, but it was there. He felt his stomach churn and stood up, he wanted nothing more than to run. He didn't care where, he didn't care who looked for him or how he got to wherever his father wasn't, but he wanted to be anywhere but _here_.  
At the first step his legs failed, and he fell to his knees, stomach lurching. He was going to throw up- God he hated being sick. He hated how weak it made him feel.  
He locked up, afraid he'd pass out if he tried to walk again. He felt a hand on his back, and cringed away from it as if it had burned him.  
"Adrien."  
Felix. Thank God. If there was anyone in the whole world he wanted to be close to right now, it was his brother. Felix put one of Adrien's arms over his shoulders and stood. "Don't throw up yet." He spoke softly, and Adrien closed his eyes, to keep the room from spinning any faster.  
"He shot her. He killed her right in front of us, Felix. In front of her friends." His voice was weak, and Felix sushed him, starting to walk out of the dining room.  
"Where do you think you're going?" Gabriel asked. Adrien's eyes were still squeezed shut, but he could hear the sounds of silverware on his plate, and felt Felix's grip on Adrien tighten.  
"Bed. Good night."  
Without another word, Felix started walking again. He could feel something change in his brother at that moment, and carefully opened his eyes. He looked at the floor ahead of them as they walked, recognizing scuffs and scratches in the wood from days they had been playing too recklessly as children. He lifted his head and looked at Felix.  
They didn't speak, Felix kept his eyes trained on the hallway, the few maids who were spared from the sight looked back at them, confused and frightened, as they ought to be. Adrien wasn't around his father enough to know he was capable of such things. He didn't think anyone who had been with someone as loving as their mother could-  
At the thought of her, Adrien's eyes filled with tears, he used his other arm to wipe them away angrily.  
"I know." Felix sighed softly, his voice dangerously even.  
They got to their shared room, and Felix sat with Adrien on his bed. "Adrien, will you be sick?"  
Adrien shook his head, he felt too numb to vomit at this point. He shook almost violently.  
"I'll be back, okay, don't-"  
"No!" Adrien barely croaked. "Please don't go- don't leave me in here by myself, Felix."  
His vision blurred, and he thought about everything at once.  
He lied about his words, it was his fault Anabel was dead, and his father was a monster. A cruel, heartless, monster.  
"What if he hurts you, too?"  
Felix's eyes widened, which was pretty unusual for him. Nothing really surprised him, even when Adrien was being exceptionally stupid, it never took him by surprise.  
"He wouldn't."  
"Why not? He did to- to-" He couldn't even bring himself to say her name. He didn't deserve to say her name.  
Adrien put his hands over his face, trying to stifle the sound of his cries, and Felix pulled him to his chest, smoothing down his hair again. "It's okay. I won't leave, okay? I'm here."  
  
There were three things Adrien lost that following week.  
His sense of humor, his trust for his father, and his brother.


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a playlist on Spotify for Felix, because he's my baby and needs more love.  
> 

* * *

* * *

 

* * *

  
  
  
Adrien woke up alone. He and Felix hadn't shared a bed since they were very young, when storms would get bad Adrien would crawl under his brother's arm and doze off, and when nightmares haunted him, Felix would lie next to him and read stories until they fell asleep. During the worst of the summer heat, they'd sleep on the floor in front of the window, eventually tangled up in each other's blankets and limbs. They were both messy sleepers, despite all of the other differences.  
Felix slept in Adrien's bed that night, mostly to keep Adrien's crying quiet, but also because he was just as scared.  
When Adrien woke up, he expected to roll over and see Felix in his own bed, reading as he usually was, or doing something else just as quietly. His blood ran cold when he didn't spot the blond right away, and he sat up, quickly got out of bed and left the room. He checked the bathroom, the gym, he ran into the dining room, relieved to see his father was absent, and then headed towards the kitchen. He stopped when he saw the dark stain on the carpet, and jumped when he heard his name.  
"What the hell are you doing?" He whispered lowly. Adrien ran around the dark spot and into the kitchen, straight into his brother's arms. "I didn't know where you were!"  
Felix put whatever was in his hand down and took Adrien's shoulders under his hands, pushing him back to look at him. "Hey, you need to calm down."  
"How can I be calm?! Don't you remember what-"  
" **Felix**. I understand, but you can't panic like that."  
Adrien stared at his brother, dumbfounded at the idea of doing anything _but_ panic.  
Adrien looked around the kitchen, and was immediately embarrassed. His father was standing, silent as usual, with his arms crossed. There were people around him.  
He straightened and Felix released him. Adrien bowed politely and Felix excused them.  
"I'm sorry I left you." He whispered.  
"I didn't notice, I'm sorry-" His voice cracked, and he bit his tongue. He walked with his brother back to their room. Felix was smiling, only slightly, though it was warm. He took in the state he had left the bed in, sheets half on the floor, and then the state of his brother.  
"You're the biggest child I know, Adrien."  
"I'm the _only_ child you know."  
Felix would have laughed, looking at his brother's uneven hair and crooked pajamas, one leg bunched up, his shirt falling off one shoulder. He licked his thumb and wiped the dried drool away from the corner of his brother's mouth.  
"Ah, gross! Cut it out!"  
"You think _this_ is gross? Your drool isn't?" He quickly fixed his brother's shirt and messed up his hair a bit, just for giggles. "Go clean up."  
"Who are those people?"  
"I don't know." Felix shrugged and sighed. "They're covered in tattoos, though."  
Tattoos were illegal, and sometimes used to brand inmates or people who might as well be slaves. Tattoos were disgusting labels, so they had been taught.  
"Why would he be with people who have _tattoos_?"  
"I don't know." He frowned at Adrien, as if he had said something personally offensive. "They don't look like they belong to anyone. I think they're at the same status as Father."  
"So they're murders." Adrien spoke quietly, remembering the stain in the carpet.  
"Or mercenaries. They're from _outside_."  
Something in Felix's eyes changed, something Adrien hadn't seen before. "They asked for me by name."  
A million things raced through his mind at that moment. Felix could be tattooed, he could be sold or traded, he could be taken away. He could be killed.  
"Stop that."  
"Stop what?"  
"You're thinking about really awful things. I can tell."  
For a moment, no one spoke. They only stared back at each other. Identical faces, with the exception of their eyes.  
"Why did you call me Felix."  
"So you did notice." He sighed. "Get cleaned up and stay in here. I can't have you messing this up."  
"What? Messing what up?!"  
"If I have to lock you in here I will. Don't make me."  
"Fel-"  
"Adrien, please."  
" **F** **é**."  
Felix grimaced at the nickname only his mother had used.  
"You would tell me if you were leaving, right?"  
"Of course I would."  
"Are you?"  
"No."  
Adrien narrowed his eyes, already filling with tears again. "Are you leaving tonight? Tomorrow?"  
"No and no. Adrien you have to trust me."  
_I do_. He wanted to say. _I trust you more than I trust myself. I don't trust anyone else. I don't trust anyone else with you but me, I can't loose you too._ He wanted to feign confidence, he wanted to keep a straight face and stern eye, he wanted to be brave like his brother.  
All that came was fear. Fear and paranoia. He was weak for not being able to face his father about his word, and weak for not being able to protect Felix, because he needed to be protected _by_ Felix.  
"Are you scared?"  
Felix didn't answer right away, he let his eyes scan the floor, as if the answer were there, engrained somewhere in the wood. "Sometimes."  
He turned and left the room, closing the door behind him, and Adrien sat on his bed, too cold to function.  
  
  
He waited for three hours. He sat on the edge of his bed, breath stale on his tongue, and looked at all of the things around him. He didn't move, his stomach growled but he ignored it, his throat was dry but it didn't bug him. His eyes stung but he blinked it away. He had been staring at Felix's side of the room, wondering what life would be like if he wasn't there to quietly occupy that corner. If he wasn't there to prod at Adrien for not making his bed correctly or sleeping in too late. What if he never saw those steely-blue eyes again?  
Did he say all he wanted to? Did Felix hear all that he needed to hear from him? If he died today, would Adrien feel he had been a good brother?  
Definitely not. Not in any way, shape, or form. There was a whole world outside he promised he'd see with Felix, come to think of it, there were hundreds of small promises he had made and not kept.   
I promise I'll make my bed right next time. I promise this is the last time I tease you for snoring. I'll beat you, promise. I'll stay quiet, promise.  
Each one hit him like a fist to the stomach.  
Felix returned soon after, and sighed at the sight of his brother, still in messy pajamas, his hair still messy. "Have you moved from that spot since I left?"  
Adrien shook his head.  
"It's time for dinner." Felix spoke dryly, clearly opposed to it. "We've switched names. Understood?"  
Adrien nodded. He didn't understand the reasoning, but he supposed he didn't need to. Felix would tell him later.  
"Hurry and get dressed. There's still company."  
Adrien did as he was told, almost mechanically, Felix brushed out his hair while Adrien brushed his teeth, and straightened his tie as Adrien stared back at him, listening numbly to his brother's instructions.  
There's a girl here their age, her name is Bridgette. She is from the country they were born in, the country, Felix reminded him, was called France.  
"Whatever you hear, no matter how weird it is, you must stay silent. Don't speak unless spoken to. You must not accept anything they give you. Do you understand?"  
Adrien nodded once.  
"And Adrien." Felix put his hands on either side of Adrien's face, forcing the boy to look at him. "I love you, okay?"  
He had read about the feeling in books, he had felt it only slightly in the most vivid of his dreams, but he hadn't felt it this strongly before.   
Time seemed to still, and something in the pit of his stomach shifted. What was the name of the emotion? He couldn't quite remember it, but he recognized it. His blood felt thick, and it slowed in him, his heart was racing, struggling to keep beating. The walls around them almost faded, his vision blurry, all he could see was Felix. It felt like the whole world had ended and restarted in the span of a few seconds. "Felix."  
"I love you." He repeated, his voice firmer, though just as genuine as before.  
"Okay. I-I love you, too."  
"No crying." Felix's face was serious as ever as he took the silver band from his left hand and held it out to Adrien. "This is yours now."  
"Why? Are you leaving?"  
"I already told you I wasn't." Felix sighed again. "If you want me to be with you, and I can't. Take it."   
Just as it was before, everything was back to normal, the soft hum of conversation outside and the thumping of his pulse in his ears returned. Everything was clear, but that uneasiness remained.   
Adrien took the ring carefully and put it on his own ring finger.  
"Thank you."  
Felix hesitated, pushed the long hair out of Adrien's eyes and kissed his forehead. "You're gonna be okay. I promise."  
There was that word again. Another punch to the stomach, Adrien wrapped his arms around Felix and tried not to cry again. Felix rubbed his brother's back for a moment before clearing his throat.  
"Right. Come on, remember what I said?"  
Adrien nodded again. There was a hollow feeling in the deepest part of his chest he couldn't get rid of. This felt like a goodbye.  
They walked into the dining room and took their respective seats. Adrien sat at the other side of the table, and three down, farthest away from his father, out of the two of them. Bridgette was a small girl, with long black hair and wide blue eyes. She looked between the two of them happily. She even smiled at their father, which only confirmed Adrien's suspicions that she knew _nothing_ about him.  
Though she smiled, she did not speak out of turn, in fact, she spoke very little at all.  
Adrien had a hard time responding to questions, mostly because they were on things Felix knew better than he did. He hoped the discomfort wasn't clear on his face, or at least not as clear as it was on Felix's. Gabriel stood, and so did everyone else. Felix and Adrien stood as well, a bit confused, but they said nothing.  
"Felix, if you would." The man closest to his father spoke, and Adrien jumped.  
"Yes sir."  
The man gestured to the kitchen, and Adrien left his seat, pushed in his chair, and locked eyes with Felix for mere seconds before going into the kitchen. Felix smiled. Adrien tried to hide the icy shiver that shot through him.   
Someone called for the maids, and the few around him quickly they filed out of the kitchen and into the dining room.  
"This way, Mr. Agreste." Bridgette was next to him, and extended her arm for him to take.  
He was slow to react, but let her lead him towards the door on the far side of the room.  
He had never been allowed within ten feet of the door, let alone going through it. As if on instinct, he recoiled a bit, Bridgette smiled again.  
"You aren't allowed through here?"  
"Not without permission, Miss."  
"You can call me Bridgette." Her smile was soft, and if he were in any other situation, he would have found it comforting, if not charming. "Or Miss Cheng, if you prefer to use titles."  
Adrien nodded once. "Yes, Miss Cheng. Thank you."  
"We need to move along now." the man seemed impatient.  
"Without F-Adrien?"  
"We don't need Adrien."  
Something about the way he spoke shook him. "Where are we going?"  
Bridgette's grip on his arm tightened. "We talked about this, Felix. Mari is meeting us outside."  
"Who's Ma-"  
There was a loud crash, something that sounded like cracking, it echoed through the kitchen, and when Adrien turned to look at the source of the noise, he could see faint light flashing through the cracks between the doors.  
There was screaming, God, he had never heard so much screaming.  
He had screamed as a child, shrill and loud and enough to get even his mother to snap at him.  
This was so much louder. The thuds and cracks echoed louder than anything else he had ever heard, and the screams shook him to his core, rattling his bones.  
"Fe-Feli-"  
"We need to go now. We're falling behind schedule." Bridgette started pulling him, but he wiggled out of her grip, scrambling for the door.  
_Guns_.  
Those were guns. Those people his father was talking to, the ones with tattoos- they were shooting in his house, they were shooting with Felix in the room.  
"Felix! Felix!" He was pulled up and lifted into the air, with every step he was taken away from the door, and further from Felix. His cries were becoming more desperate, the English they had practiced for so long cutting off into hysterical French. He screamed until his throat was sore, until his voice cracked and there was no sound at all but his breathing. He thrashed around in the arms of the man the entire way out of the house and cried until the outside air hit his face, until the smoke burned his eyes and lungs, until he was sure he'd throw up.  
He fell limp in the arms of the man carrying him, and as soon as his grip weakened, he made a run for the way back.  
He was quickly knocked down, and when he couldn't use his legs, he crawled. When his legs were kicked out from under him again, he drug himself with his arms.  
"Quit bugging him!" Someone shouted. The voice was definitely female, and in French. She walked and stopped in front of him, he glared at her small pink shoes.  
"Felix Agreste. Stand."  
"I'm no-"  
_We've switched names, whatever you hear you must stay silent, you must not accept anything they give you._  
He bit his tongue and forced himself to stand. His legs were weak, his stomach in knots, but he held his left hand in his right and twisted his brother's ring on his finger.  
He forced himself to lift his eyes from the pink shoes to the black pants, the white top, and the blue eyes, passionate, wide, and outlined in red war paint.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y I K E S.  
> Technically Felix didn't lie. He wasn't leaving. Adrien was. *cackles and rubs hands together*  
> Also YAY! Guess who's here~! I'm trying to include the Twitter fam.


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be making these chapters longer, so I won't be updating three a day like before!

Adrien hadn't been outside since he was eleven years old. He hadn't felt outside air in almost six years. It was _awful_ , it stuck thickly to the walls of his throat and almost choked him. It stung his nose and made his eyes burn. It was also, somehow, one of the best, most _real_ things he had felt in a very long time.  
And Felix wasn't here to feel it.  
The world around him was dark, dimly lit by the setting sun. Everything he could see was broken. Buildings even miles away seemed cracked and shattered, worn by weather and war. There was no grass, and what few trees surrounded them lie barren and dead. Adrien had never felt so heavy before, with his shoes flat against the dry earth he knew water couldn't even penetrate, he could have grown roots and stood in place forever. He stared at the woman before him, and saw nothing.  
Whatever was going through her head, Adrien couldn't figure out by looking at her face. He had a million questions, and answers to none of them- a million things he wished he could see, and no way of going back to check.  
His throat was dry and almost throbbing from overuse, even if he wanted to speak, if he had the energy to ask questions, he probably couldn't.  
The woman was a head shorter than he was, with messy, black hair pulled into two low braids at either side of her head. She was pale, and from the shape of her eyes, of East Asian descent. Her eyes were bright, though almost lifeless, and a shade of blue that could be compared to something poetic like the sky just before dawn or flowers- but the way she stared expectantly at him made him think of a dangerously thin layer of ice over a lake. The way she stared at him, as if expecting him to say something stupid- it really reminded him of his father.  
He broke eye contact first, though he didn't want to.  
"It's safe now." A voice behind him, Bridgette, unless there was another female he hadn't seen, spoke up, breaking the silence.  
The woman in front of him crossed her arms, still watching Adrien. He glared down at her, trying to give off the 'I'm not going anywhere' vibe.  
She pointed at his hand. "Felix gave that to you, yeah?"  
Adrien's eyes narrowed, pulling his left hand to his chest cautiously. "Yes."  
"Alright then, let's get going."  
"Wait-" He coughed, his voice still hoarse and throat sore. "I'm not going anywhere with you."  
"He said you'd do this." She frowned. "Adrien, that's your name, right?"  
Adrien's glare sharpened, his lips pressed into a thin line.  
"He told you to use his name. You don't have to with us."  
_This could be a test. They could be tricking me, getting my defenses down so they can kill me, too._ Adrien didn't move.  
"Adrien, come on- we can't linger here for long, it isn't safe."  
"For who?"  
"You. I get you're paranoid, but can you panic in the car?"  
"Like hell I-" He started coughing again, and Bridgette went to his side from somewhere behind him.  
"Are you alright?"  
He straightened up and tried again, his pride shot. "I'm not leaving."  
"Why not? Do you want to be shot at?"  
"Marinette-"  
"Bridgette don't. Felix went through hell to make sure you got out of there, I'll be damned if we lose you now."  
Adrien's glare went from annoyance to pure hatred. How _dare_ she talk like she knows him.  
"We need to go. Now. If I have to drag you kicking and screaming into this car so help me _God_ , I will."  
This Marinette person reminded him of his father, which made him hate her more, if he were being honest. He wouldn't trust his pet rock to this woman, let alone his life.  
He crossed his arms defiantly.  
Her blue eyes lit up, looking pretty creepy surrounded by the red face paint. "So be it." She hissed.  
Before he could get in a sarcastic one-liner, he was picked up and walked to the car.  
He did kick, and he did scream, as much as he could with dead vocal chords, anyway. He remembered the first meltdown he witnessed.  
A child who wasn't given the toy he wanted, he had thrown himself to the floor, and when his parents managed to get their hands around his flailing arms and legs, he became almost like a limp noodle.  
Adrien tried to do the same, and nearly fell out of the arms of the Gorilla, but this earned him a tighter grip, rather than freedom from it.  
"Let me go!" He shouted, his voice cracking at every other word.  
"You're going to do some serious damage to your vocal chords." Bridgette frowned. "You don't act like him very much, do you?"  
"Put me down!" Adrien kicked, almost hitting Marinette in the face. In turn she took both of his legs under one arm and held him in place. The more he kicked at her, the tighter her grip got. "Ouch! Let me go!"  
"Not if you keep kicking me like a baby!"  
He relaxed a bit, glaring at her through wet lashes. They had managed to get about thirty feet from where they were once standing. Marinette sighed and loosened her grip, Adrien kicked her back.  
"Hey!" She stumbled backwards, and the grip around his arms and torso tightened, making him yelp. The more he struggled to get out of it, the less room he had to breathe.  
"L-lemmie go! Le-" He started coughing again, his legs falling limp and hanging above the ground.  
Marinette brushed herself off, though he could still see a footprint on her shirt where he had kicked her.  
"Gorilla, get him inside." Marinette was obviously unhappy, given her sour expression, and while he did feel _kind of_ guilty for kicking her, there was no concrete reason to trust them at all. They could be lying, for all he knew.  
Adrien stopped struggling, for the simple fact that he was quickly running out of air. He was pushed into the backseat of the car. When he looked around, it really seemed more like a truck. He hadn't seen many trucks in his day, always confined to the house while his father was off doing whatever he did.  
Adrien scowled at the thought of his father. What _was_ he doing that whole time? What did he do that made someone mad enough to get shot at? Did any of this have to do with his mother? How much did Felix know about it?  
"You seem calmer now." Bridgette got into the seat next to him, and Adrien moved as close to the door as he could. "It's locked." she noted, fixing her hair into a ponytail. "Just so you know." She gave him a wary glance from the side of her eye and sighed softly, putting her hands in her lap. She turned towards him, back against the door she was closest to, and smiled.  
They sat like this for a while, while Marinette and the Gorilla were doing something in the front seat he didn't care enough to pay attention to. He took the moment to size up Bridgette. She was even smaller than Marinette, and very skinny. She didn't seem like one who could hold her own in a fight, but she was kind to him, so if he had to fight anyone- he'd rather it wasn't her.  
"I'm sorry we had to meet for the first time this way."  
Adrien glared.  
"You know what you remind me of?"  
"An angry child." Marinette grumbled.  
"No, a cat!"  
Adrien stared between the two, and then down at his lap. He turned Felix's ring on his finger silently.  
"I didn't mean to offend you." Bridgette added quickly. "He reminded me of a cat, too."  
Adrien's frown deepened, the last thing he wanted to talk about was Felix.  
"That's how I know for sure you're his-"  
"Don't." His voice was barely above a whisper, and he hated how weak he sounded with a passion. He couldn't manage anything else, though. He looked out his window, which was covered with a grate of sorts, it reminded him of the screens that used to be outside the windows in their old house.  
He would sit by the window for _hours_ at a time waiting for his father's car to pull into the driveway.  
Bridgette reached out to him, and he cringed away from it at first, but was surprised to see she was giving him something.  
"Here."  
She held a white fabric, there was grey stitching along the sides, some sort of design he couldn't see with it half crumpled in her palm that way. He met her eyes for a moment. _Why?_  
"It's clean." She moved it closer to him. "Take it."  
He did. It was awkward and almost mechanical, he held it in his hands for a while before actually wiping at his eyes with it. Bridgette stayed on her side of the seats, minding her own business and keeping her eyes ahead, and Adrien looked back outside.  
He thought of his brother again. He thought of his father.  
He thought of Anabel, the other maids who were with him before they went into hiding, the maids who came seemingly from nowhere. They all cared for him, even a little, despite their initial coldness. They were all kind, they were all _precious_ and none of them deserved to die the way they did.  
The car jerked forward, scaring him, and then sped off. Adrien was quick to kneel on the seat, watching through the back window as what was left of his family grew smaller and disappeared behind them.  
He kneeled for a while like this, afraid he'd forget if he looked away.  
No one spoke, not until Adrien sat down again, leaning against the door and staring blankly at his feet.  
He looked up and caught Marinette eyeing him through the rear view mirror. Before he could hold her gaze or glare at her, she looked away, her brows were furrowed. She leaned against her door, her face no longer in Adrien's line of sight.  
Was that concern?  
He looked at Bridgette, who seemed just as distraught as he was, though it was only visible in the way her eyes were steadily filling with tears.  
He straightened and leaned towards her, as if he could do something. She quickly wiped her eyes on her sleeve and smiled at him again. It was like nothing had happened at all. No trace of sadness was left.  
Felix did that, too.  
"So, I know you can't talk much right now. We can make tea for you when we get back, okay? Fu makes the best tea."  
He stared in response, wondering why the hell he had gotten into this situation, and where they were going, and what _Felix_ had to do with any of this, and why he was being offered _tea_ when all he wanted to do was curl up into a ball and die.  
"Do you like the color green?"  
Adrien raised a brow.  
"Your eyes are green, it's a beautiful color."  
He squinted, not sure if he should be creeped out or charmed. "Th-" He cleared his throat.  
"Sorry, you can't talk..." She made a gesture, her hand at the base of her chin, and then tilted it down, towards him. "This means 'thank you' in English Sign Language."  
He repeated the gesture, and she smiled. "No problem."  
They sat in silence for what must've been hours, the sun was already going down when they got outside, now the whole world was pitch black, with the exception of the hazy light of the moon. He couldn't see it while he was in the car, and even when he tried to see outside the window, it was out of his range, he was brimming with questions, but had no one he really trusted to ask.  
Bridgette, maybe. He _felt_ like he could trust her.  
He also _felt_ like his father wasn't a murderer, though.  
Was she being nice because she was just like that? Is this one of those good cop/bad cop things? He closes his eyes, too tired and numb to be thinking about everything this way.  
_There has to be someone to trust here._  
_I can't be alone._  
  


-

  
  
Adrien was woken by the sudden jerk of the car, right away he sprung upwards and blinked against the bright lights ahead of them. "What's-?"  
"Get down!" Bridgette took him by the shoulders and forced him against the back of the driver's seat, head on his knees, he was still half-asleep, and too scared to really argue with her.  
"How did they-?"  
"We were there for too long, they must've seen us go."  
Three things suddenly occurred to him in that moment.  
The first was more of a thought, some strange mix between 'what the fuck' and 'how the fuck', which came out as more of a "Wow the fuck?"  
The second, a panicked sort of scrambling to recognize his surroundings. They were driving, lights were ahead of them. Was it another car? Were they just people? Was it some sort of light mounted on something?  
The third, and the most appropriate of his thoughts: Who saw us leave? If these people were with the bad guys, they wouldn't be trying to get him away from the people who killed-  
_his family_.  
That memory hit him again. It was all real, Anabel, Felix, his father-  
"Adrien are you alright?"  
He lifted his eyes to Bridgette's and nodded once. "What's happening?"  
"We lingered for too long." She looked towards the front seats, "Marinette you might have to-"  
"I know." She cut off. Adrien's head was spinning, he put his head back down and groaned. _This is too much._  
He wasn't sure if he felt more like throwing up or just rolling out of the car. The sound of the engine and the wind from the open windows didn't help, he put his hands over his ears, and though it didn't drown out the sound completely, it muffled it enough for him to focus on breathing normally.  
_Breathe, Adrien. They're really on your side. They're protecting you. You'll be fine._  
Just when the anxiety had started to fade, he heard gunfire.  
He felt hands move over his own, and the sound faded just a bit more. He thought he could feel her move closer, pressing against his side.  
He didn't dare open his eyes to check. He continued to breathe, timing each inhale and exhale as someone had taught him. The more he tried to remember who showed him these obscure ways to calm down, the more he couldn't quite remember their face.  
The noises continued for what felt like forever, and ended with loud brakes and the crunching of metal, even so they were still speeding, and it felt like he had left his stomach behind.  
"Are you okay?"  
Adrien shook his head slightly. "Nope."  
"Just breathe, Adrien. You aren't in danger anymore."  
That voice, it wasn't Bridgette's, and it definitely wasn't the Gorilla. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking a couple times until he could stand to open them fully. "Can I sit up?"  
"Yeah." The hands moved away from his and he sat up carefully. He kept his eyes glued to the floor, the only thing that didn't seem to be moving enough to make him sick. He looked to his right and locked eyes with Marinette.  
_They switched seats. That makes sense._  
She was staring at him, her brows furrowed. Her eyes darted between his, and the intensity of her blue and concern held him in place. It was still the blue of thin ice, the kind no one in their right mind would stand over, but here he was.  
"I'm sorry I kicked you."  
She looked confused for a minute, her eyes narrowed, but then she smiled. "It's fine. I'll break your legs if you try that again, though."  
He nodded once.  
"You can talk now. I don't know how to feel about that."  
"You're going to wish I couldn't." He said simply. Felix used to tell him constantly to curb the sarcastic remarks.  
Her smile widened a bit, was she warming up to him?  
"I doubt it. You look like you've seen a ghost, though." She started laughing. "Are you alright?"  
He shook his head again. "I'm alive, at least."  
Her smile disappeared, and she frowned again. "Yeah. You are, aren't you." She moved away from him and looked out the back window, Adrien kept his eyes on her. He still couldn't read her face, but he didn't need to, to know death wasn't something she wanted to talk about. Really, though, did anyone want to talk about it?  
_Especially after today._  
"We're close. If you go to sleep again, we'll be there by the time you wake up." Bridgette spoke, and looked at her, sitting in the front seat, head turned to speak to him directly. Marinette leaned against her own door, looking ahead through the window. She brought her knees up, heels on the seat and knees tucked under her chin. One arm was wrapped around her legs, the other bent under her head.  


He sighed and leaned against the door on his side, staring at the floor again until the sudden crack of thunder startled him. He sat up and watched the lightning for a while, almost unable to look away. He hadn't seen lightning since he was last outside.  
It had been five years since he had seen any of this. It didn't seem like long while he was in the compound, but now that he was seeing all of this again, it felt like the first time. He knew what it was, he knew what to expect, he even remembered the science that caused it- but the way lightning split the clouds, from black to violet, the way he could breathe in just before the thunder clapped and almost feel it shaking his ribs-  
He turned to look at Marinette, who had since then looked towards him. Her eyes seemed to say 'what's with you?' But as soon as their gazes met she looked away.  
He jumped and looked outside again when something wet hit his forehead. Rain? This is rain, isn't it?  
He could smell it, the petrichor, and remembered being outside in the rain as a child. He went on walks with Felix and insisted on jumping in every puddle they saw. Felix never stopped him.  
The memory sobered him up a bit, and the effect the rain left on him had all but vanished. He pulled away his own jacket and inspected it for a moment.  
He looked back at Marinette, who's eyes were now closed. He held it on his lap for a while, watching the storm, when the rain picked up again he looked back at her.  
He took a breath to steady himself and leaned over to her side of the seat, carefully lifting the jacket to put over her shoulder. She woke up with a start, and he froze. She looked between his hands and eyes.  
"What are you doing?"  
"You're getting rained on." His voice wavered a bit. She stared at him, clearly confused, or cautious at least. "I've never been in this situation before."  
Marinette narrowed her eyes, waiting for an explanation.  
"I've never had friends, or really interacted with other people, so...all of this, for me...it's a bit new."  
Her expression was, as usual, unreadable, but he hoped there was some understanding in her. She was hesitant, and looked at his hands again before taking the jacket from him. They sat this way for another moment, and the sudden flash of lightning made them both jump, snapping Adrien out of his daze. Without another word he moved away and leaned against the door, closing his eyes. The long sleeves of his shirt kept him warm, or warmer than he imagined Marinette to be, nothing he couldn't handle.  
He didn't want to think about what he was leaving behind, or what kind of mess he was driving into, but if he wasn't truly alone in it, maybe he could manage.  


 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The umbrella scene has now become the jacket scene. I dig it.


	5. Five

Adrien didn't sleep.  
Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't have been able to close his eyes for even a full second, let alone a few minutes.  
He _needed_ sleep of course. He was exhausted, from the moment he woke up until this very moment, every action and word and thought was burned into him. He didn't need it as much as he needed answers. Not as much as he needed space to breathe and process, as much as he needed still ground to stand on and close his eyes and just _think_. Not nearly as much as he needed his brother.  
Every time the boy crossed his mind, It was like a slap across the face. Felix was gone.  
**Gone**.  
It was a heavy word. Heavier than anything else he had carried before, even his own name. He _hated_ that word now, because it meant so much more to him.  
He stared ahead at the road he couldn't see quite clearly enough, watching as the taller rocks and remnants of old signs sped past him. He had no idea where he was, or why he was here.  
He didn't want to be, in all honesty. He hadn't felt the urge to disappear so strongly before.  
"Adrien."  
He didn't move, but moved his eyes to look at Marinette's form. She was holding his jacket close, squinting at him against the wind. "We need to talk about him before you get to our vault."  
He narrowed his eyes at the word she used to describe her home, wondering what kind of place it was.   
"What's left to talk about?"  
"There's a lot to talk about, actually." She looked away, for just a moment. If Adrien had blinked then, he would have missed the flash of something different in her eyes, but he didn't.   
"We need to know what he told you."  
"Why?"  
"Adrien I don't know what else we have to do to prove we're on your side here."   
_Bring me back._ He wanted to say. _Let me see him. Let me hold onto him and bury him, let me make sure he doesn't rot on the dining room floor like vermin._  
"Adrien." Bridgette was looking at him over the side of the front seat, even Gorilla looked at him through the mirror. "We _are_ on your side. Just like we were on his."  
"If you get answers from me, I expect the same from you."  
"That's fair."  
And the interrogation began. Marinette sat with her back against the door, legs folded up and feet on the seat next to him, knees up to her chin as she quizzed him on his brother. Every so often she'd pull his jacket closer around him, under her chin, or just over her legs. He wondered why they didn't just roll up the windows, but the smell of rain and the sound of thunder was too soothing to risk muting.   
"He was contacting you, and you spoke with him- how did that work?"  
"He made this... _device_." Marinette furrowed her brows. "Like a wireless telegraph machine."  
"He _made_ a _cell phone_?"Adrien's brows shot up.   
"A what?"  
"You don't know what a cell phone is, but you know how telegraphs work?" How old was Marinette anyway?  
"Don't judge me, brat." She glared. "We don't all have glamorous compounds and fancy tech-shit to keep us distracted."  
"How did he make a cell- a _wireless telegraph machine_ without me or father knowing?"  
"Beats me. However he did it, he did it well. We traded secrets for months."  
"What secrets?"  
"They're secrets for a reason, Adrien." Bridgette frowned. "In due time, you'll find out."  
"Speaking of glamorous compounds and tech-shit-" Marinette straightened up in her seat. "You need a cover."  
"Cover?"  
"If people find out who's son you are, they'll beat your ass without a second thought." She shrugged. "No one will hear you out."  
"But you talked to Felix, didn't you?"  
"Yes, and we hold immense respect for him. We didn't know you existed until last minute."  
"Why assume I'm any different from him?" Adrien defended. "I forgot there was a world outside of my compound! Would you expect me to be anything like my father?"  
"Your brother was a hero, Adrien. I don't want to assume you aren't but- I have people to protect, too. I'm just playing Devil's Advocate."  
He really couldn't blame her for that, even if he wanted to. He understood that feeling. That must've been why Felix didn't tell them about him.   
"What's my cover?" he asked quietly.   
"Lone survivor, not related to the family, an outside servant maybe."  
Adrien nodded, looking at his folded hands in his lap. "Understood."  
"No one has ever seen Felix, and no one who's looked at Gabriel Agreste has lived long enough to- never mind. No one will know who you are unless you tell them, is my point."  
Adrien nodded again.   
"Fu can make you some tea when we get there, he really is the best at making tea." Bridgette spoke up, sounding cheerful as she did before. "We'll find you a place to sleep and get cleaned up, you'll learn how things work and everything will be okay."  
"What if they aren't?" Adrien asked quietly. "What if I don't fit in or someone figures me out? What if I can't grasp any concepts or be of use?"  
"You will." Marinette spoke loudly and firmly. "That's the last thing you need to think of right now. As long as you aren't one of Gabriel's butterflies you'll be fine."  
"Butterflies?"  
"That's what we call his soldiers." Bridgette glared at Marinette. "Though we agreed not to-"  
"They wear this ridiculous uniform and carry around these weird weapons. They're flamboyant, like butterflies."  
"He has _soldiers_? He has **_weapons_**?"  
After what he did today, Adrien wouldn't put it past him, even so- there was so much going on that he didn't understand. He held his face in his hands and sighed. "I need a minute."  
"That's about all you have, actually." Marinette pushed his jacket back to him and hopped out before the car had completely stopped, jogging ahead to three waiting people.   
"I hate it when she does that." Bridgette got out of the car, and Adrien looked up to see Gorilla watching him patiently.   
"Are you waiting on me?"  
He didn't respond.   
"Right." He got out of the car, jumped as thunder cracked above him, and walked carefully to stand behind Marinette.   
They don't know who you are. Make up a story.   
In the headlights Adrien sized up the strangers. One of them, and the tallest of the three, had his arms crossed, almost completely covered in tattoos and scars. When Adrien looked up, he locked eyes with him.   
"Hello."   
Adrien squeaked. This didn't look like the kind of guy you'd want to get into a fight with. Despite his soft brown eyes and warm smile, he looked like he could pack a punch. Adrien didn't want to find out.   
"Adrien, this is Theo."   
The tallest of the three nodded.   
"This is Tony," About a head shorter, with dark hair and a cautious expression, he was standing close to Theo, as if protecting him. Adrien didn't blame him. "And this is Mario."  
Mario, he would have a problem with. He could tell right away by the venomous glare and 'get away from me' way he looked Adrien up and down like some sort of oddity.   
Adrien nodded at him, not even gracing him with a half smile.   
"So the mission failed."  
"We were...interrupted."  
"By who?" Tony asked, turning his attention away from Adrien.   
"I can't say who for sure. Agreste's weapons."  
"Fucker." Mario hissed.   
Adrien tried not to cringe. Theo noticed.   
Instantly Adrien started to panic, but he kept a straight face, not looking away until Theo did.  
"So, Felix Agreste is..."  
"Yes."  
Theo looked at Adrien again for a split second before putting his arm over Tony's shoulders. "But you _did_ bring someone back."  
"Yes. This is Adrien."  
All eyes were on him. Adrien had no idea what the hell he was supposed to say.  
"He was close to Felix." Bridgette spoke up. "It's been one hell of a day for him."  
"Where are you from, Adrien?" Mario asked.   
_Shit_. "I don't know."  
Mario narrowed his eyes. "You don't know where you came from?"  
"A woman, obviously." Adrien snapped. "I don't know where I was born. I've been with the Agreste's as long as I can remember."  
Theo snickered, Tony elbowed him.   
"You were loyal to them?"  
"I was loyal to Felix."  
Mario didn't relax, not even a little.   
"I did what I was told to do, which- compared to what I know now about Gabriel Agreste, was incredibly..." He sighed, looking at his feet. "I had no idea any of this was happening."  
"What he did isn't your fault." Tony told him. "Mario's pretty protective of everyone."  
"I understand. He has people to look out for."  
"Exactly. So if I find out you're a threat I'll wipe you out before you can blink."  
Adrien blinked up at him, surprised, though his actions were valid, but still pretty freaked out. "Yeah. I understand."  
"Alright, now that you have been thoroughly threatened by Mario, let's get inside, shall we? We have some things to discuss." Marinette clapped, seeming excited just to end this conversation.   
"Don't have to tell me twice. I'm beat from chores." Theo leaned on Tony and the smaller boy grumbled in protest. They all turned back and started walking.   
"Is that..." Adrien had to squint, as the headlights weren't strong enough to really make out the shape.   
"Does Tony have a gun in his pocket?!"  
"We all have guns." Marinette shrugged softly. "Hard to be without one, nowadays."  
Adrien was shaken, having enough of guns for once lifetime. "Jesus."  
"He likes guns." Bridgette smiled. "He's super handy with weapons, so don't piss him off, okay?"  
Adrien's eyes widened, and she laughed. "I'm joking! He will blow your head off if you give him enough reason, though."  
"Come on, the storm's getting worse out here." Mario sighed. "You can run your mouths inside."  
And so they left. Adrien wasn't sure where they were going exactly. He wasn't paying attention to where the two others disappeared to, but when Mario pulled up a door on the ground he let out a quiet "ooh".  
"Home sweet home!" Bridgette was first to climb down, then Marinette.   
Adrien waited.  
"Go ahead." Mario tilted his head towards the hatch, and Adrien jumped.   
He was careful to climb inside, as if the ladder would burn him. It was dark and cold and part of him was afraid this was all some sort of trick, and they'd lock him up alone.   
His feet hit the ground, and the soft sound echoed. He squinted and looked upwards, Mario already halfway down, and watched as he closed the hatch before jumping down the last four rungs and brushing himself off.   
"Let's go, Blondie."  



	6. Six

Mario walked close to him, which somehow comforted Adrien as much as it petrified him. "Anything I should know before I walk in there?"  
"Listen, everything you need to know, you'll know. We have to check you out first."  
"I understand that."  
Mario looked surprised, but just as quickly as his brows shot up, he returned to his stern expression. "Do you now?"  
"Of course. I mean, you don't know anything about me. _I_   know I'm not out to get you, but you don't. I'd do the same if some lone stranger came to my house."  
"You're pretty level headed, Blondie. I'd be pissing my pants in this situation."  
"I didn't drink much before I got here."  
Mario scoffed, and Adrien noticed the slightest hint of a smile. "You don't look like a serial killer."  
"Thank you?"  
The hallway was jet black, but with time his eyes adjusted. Marinette and Bridgette had proven that they were on his side. He didn't have any reason to believe that Mario would attack him, _and yet_...  
He noticed marks on the walls, and focused on them instead of the looming darkness ahead.  
"You aren't looking too hot, Blondie. Let me know if you're going to be sick, okay?"  
Adrien nodded once, with every step he felt more and more...nonexistent. It was an odd feeling, something he hadn't felt before. He knew he was moving, and yet it felt like he was standing still. Nothing was happening, and everything was happening all at once. He was tethered to the ground and floating, bobbing back and forth in whichever direction the wind willed him to. He didn't notice Mario had stopped walking, focusing only on the sound of his shoes on the concrete below them. The slow, even pace.  
"Adrien."  
He jumped, and sprung back to reality with the sharpness of a rubber band. "Sorry."  
"We're going this way." Mario's face was etched with concern, but he didn't mention Adrien's weird behavior.  
He walked back and returned to Mario's side, turning his focus to the walls again. "Did someone paint these?"  
"Yes."  
"Like the walls in caves." He muttered, mostly to himself. "Not that you're cavemen or anything, it just...this reminds me of a cave." The more Adrien spoke, the more he wished he had just shut up.  
"I know what you mean." He nodded again and stopped. "I need you to put this on."  
Adrien was a bit concerned about Mario carrying around a blindfold, but didn't comment. He took it and tied it around his head before tugging it down over his eyes.  
He jumped when Mario touched him, only to tighten the bandanna and ask if he could see anything. Adrien shook his head, and Mario replied with a "Good." before poking his forehead. Adrien jumped again and glared. "What was that for?"  
"Just making sure. I have to put this over your head." As soon as he spoke, something was slipped over his face, and Adrien felt trapped. He felt trapped quite often these past few days, but this was different. This was a close, _physical_   kind of trapped. His stomach churned, he squeezed his eyes tight, and he counted slowly to himself.  
"Hang in there. I won't lead you into any walls."  
Mario hooked one arm under Adrien's and started walking, Adrien held his other arm out a bit just in case. He counted every step he took, listening to the echoes and the spaces between each low click of his shoes.  
Every once in a while Mario would update him with a quiet "almost there" or "hang in there, Blondie", which was comforting, and eased him out of more than a few oncoming panic attacks.   
"You're still breathing under there, right? We're like, thirty steps away from walking into the door."  
Adrien slowed his pace, and Mario pulled the fabric off of his head. He could feel heat on his face, and flinched away from it at first. When Mario let got of his arm, Adrien instantly moved his hands to his eyes and pulled the bandanna away.  
He should have waited for some sort of signal, or asked Mario if it was okay first, because the blinding light he blinked into gave him an almost instant headache.  
He rubbed at his eyes and groaned.  
"Okay, Good Cop, Bad Cop, this is Adrien, fresh from the Agreste Compound."  
He let his eyes adjust, and grimaced as he forced himself to look ahead. He met curious hazel eyes, framed by large, dark glasses. The first thing he noticed, aside from her powerful stare, was the way her hair stuck out from a high, curly pony-tail. The ends were bright copper, like embers, whereas her roots were darker red. She was beautiful, he thought, but looked dangerous. This was a woman who could tear him apart, but give amazing pep-talks, by the look of it. The boy next to her seemed more timid, shorter with bright turquoise eyes and red hair.  
"The _Agreste_ compound?" He asked, looking Adrien over in obvious disbelief.  
"You call it a compound instead of a vault, that's interesting." the woman noted.  
"Listen, I just work here." Mario frowned. "Save the interrogation for Blondie."  
"What's your name?" The redhead asked.  
"Adrien."  
He nodded with a small smile. "Alright, Adrien-" Mario patted him on the shoulder and left. He didn't turn to see if he had really left, but felt the presence of him fade. He closed his eyes for a minute, his composure cracking.  
"I know you've had one hell of a day, Adrien,. Come take a seat, we can take it slow from here."  
When he opened his eyes, even in the dim light, he could tell the smile the boy had was genuine. The girl gestured for him to follow, and when they started walking, he did.  
The room was narrow, but long, and a bit claustrophobic. There was a small table with three chairs, it was plain and clearly worn down, the kind he imagined in a small restaurant somewhere. He and Felix used to pretend they worked in a cafe,  rolled up socks were bagels and cinnamon buns, books were plates and they took turns being the customer. One time their parents played with them. Before their mother left. He wanted to laugh at the memory of the two boys scrambling to hide the evidence when their father's footsteps echoed down the hall towards their room. Even Felix was shaken when he came in and questioned them, and could almost see the disbelief in his small, round face when their strict, otherwise brash father sit cross-legged on the floor and hold out a small book. "I'll take one bagel, please."  
He didn't notice they were speaking to him, not until the woman had touched his shoulder. He jumped away, as if she had burned him.  
"Adrien, I'm sorry, are you alright?"  
"Fine." He wiped at his face. "I'm fine."  
"Take a seat."  
"Can I stand?"  
The two were quiet, and exchanged a worried glance before moving to their own chairs.  
"I'm Alya, this is Nath." the woman introduced them with a smile, and Adrien nodded, rubbing his arms.  
"Nice to meet you." He clenched his jaw, keeping his eyes on the floor.  
"If you ever need to take a seat, feel free to." Nath smiled, opening a small book and clicking his pen.  
"You're taking notes on me?"  
He hesitated. "Yes. Nothing no one else will see."  
Adrien nodded. He didn't really care. No one he knew would see it, he didn't care about anyone's opinion of him. Not now.  
"These questions may seem a bit weird, pointless even, but they're important. We need you to take them seriously."  
Adrien nodded. "O-okay."  
"What's your favorite color?"  
Adrien narrowed his eyes. "Seriously?"  
Nath raised a brow, his face otherwise expressionless. He looked at Alya from the corner of his eye, and then back at Adrien. "Seriously."  
He glared, took in a deep breath, and replied. "Green."  
"Like a light green? Forest green?"  
"What does this-"  
"Adrien."  
"Light, I guess."  
"How did you get to the Agreste compound?"  
"I've been there as long as I can remember."  
"Were you born there?"  
"I don't know."  
"What were your parents like?"  
He squeezed his eyes shut. _Keep calm. Pull yourself together, Adrien._ "I don't remember."  
"Would you say you're a dog person, or a cat person?"  
He was thankful for the change of subject, but still thrown off by how random it was. "I... I like cats."  
"Do you like to read?"  
"Yes."  
"You speak French fluently. Marinette said you were speaking English earlier."  
Adrien nodded. "Yeah."  
"Any other languages?"  
"Chinese."  
Alya whistled. "Felix was your...friend?"  
He hesitated. He waited much longer than he should have to respond. "Yes."  
"You seem to be grieving more than an average servant would."  
"We were close."  
"Day or night? Which is more comforting to you?"  
"Day. Early morning."  
"If you could go back in time and speak to one person, who would it be?"  
He looked up, locked eyes with the boy ahead of him, and waited.  
"Right. Sorry I asked."  
"What would you say to him?"  
"Alya." Nath warned.  
"He doesn't have to tell me, I just want him to think about it. What would you say? How far back would you go? Would you warn him, even if it meant you two had a different relationship?"  
Adrien cracked. He could almost physically feel the wall he built crumbling. Alya was like water. She got into all his weak places and froze, expanded and made it all worse. He _hated_ her.  
"Why would you ask me that?"  
Alya's lips tilted upwards, just the slightest hint of a smile formed, and she laced her fingers together under her chin. "You don't know what life is like down here, Adrien. That thought is all you're going to have for a long time. As long as it takes to heal."  
Nath looked horrified, caught between an injured lion and an armed hunter. "S-so you like cats! Have you ever had one?"  
Adrien ignored him. Alya stood. "I think we can get to the good stuff. Your quiz has eased him enough, Nathanael."  
"I don't think so, he looks...dangerous?"  
"Get Bridg and Gorilla."  
Adrien stepped to the side to let a rather terrified Nath leave, Alya came round the opposite side of the table to stand closer, looking him right in the eyes. She pushed her glasses up and let them rest on top of her head. "What's your last name, Adrien?"  
He hadn't thought about a fake name. "I don't know."  
"You don't?" she narrowed her eyes. "Hm."  
"Have you _heard_ of Gabriel Agreste? The last thing he cares about is the help."  
"Not even enough to tell you where you came from?"  
Adrien glared.  
"You have to understand my reluctance to trust anything that comes out of your mouth. Right? No one has laid eyes on Gabriel Agreste and survived. You're the sole survivor, by chance, probably. Felix switched places with you, from what I've heard. What makes you _so special_ that he'd give up his own life, his chance to live as he wants, for _you_?"  
He could taste bile on his tongue, and found it increasingly difficult to keep eye contact.  
"He's not a naive boy, Adrien. If that is your real name. He has reasons for doing what he does."  
"Don't talk to me like you know him." He hissed. "Don't you dare."  
"And you do?"  
"I grew up with him. I spent every waking moment by his side, up until your people pulled me kicking and screaming from that compound."  
Alya was starting to back down, and he felt a flood of raw power wash over him. Good. She should be afraid of him. She should know her place and have some respect.  
"I didn't ask for that. Whatever reason he had for doing what he did is beyond me, but if you think I'd rather be _here_ than in his place you are _dead wrong_."  
Alya looked him over for a minute, nodded and backed up, leaning on the table, arms crossed. "There's a lot of sadness in you, Adrien. Sadness and anger and something else I can't quite put my finger on. I don't like that."  
"I lost my best friend today."  
She nodded again. "I'm starting to believe it."  
The door opened and closed behind him, he relaxed at the sound of Bridgette's voice. "What's going on? Nate looks like he's going to piss his pants out there."  
"I hit a nerve. Or five." Alya shrugged. "Keep a close eye on him. No alone time, and check him for weapons."  
With every word, Adrien was hating her more and more.   
"Take him to see Fu, if you would. He could use it."  
  
  



	7. Seven

Apparently, Adrien had passed their 'inspection', and was promptly escorted to this _Fu_ person.  
Bridgette had mentioned him, and his tea, but other than that, he knew nothing about him.  
He almost missed Mario by his side, the curt direction and sassy one-liners that didn't come across as threatening as much as casual. He missed casual.  
He was still on day one of this whole process, and realized with that thought, that there was no way he could tell how long he'd be down here. There were no windows, no clocks that he could see. If the lanterns spaced along the walls of the hallway went out, they'd be trapped in darkness. Buried alive.  
"What're you thinking about?"  
Nathanel had volunteered to take him, and for a moment, he had completely forgotten he was there. He just walked, vision blurred in thought, vaguely focused on the red hair in front of him. He walked when he did, turned as he had, followed absentmindedly like dog on a leash.  
"Home." He thought aloud.  
"You thought of the compound as home?"  
Adrien nodded, feeling suddenly heavy. He wanted to take a break here, sit on the floor, maybe lie down.  
"I'm sorry, Adrien."  
He hummed in response, snapping out of his daze only when a door at the end of the hall was opened. Light flooded the cave-like tunnel, and he was hit immediately with the smell of roses.  
They had roses, once. His mom grew them in their front yard, next to the peonies and daisies. He could almost see the bright green gloves she wore, and how odd they looked on his tiny hands when he insisted on helping with the weeds.  
"Adrien, this is Mr. Fu."  
Mechanically, Adrien held out a hand. "It's a pleasure."  
After a moment of silence, Adrien pulled himself fully from his memory and stared back at the man before him. He was notably short, with ashy gray hair and light brown eyes.  
"Hello Adrien." The man shook his hand, took a step back, and motioned for him to come into the room, not once taking his eyes from the blond. "Thank you, Nathanel."The redhead spun on a heel and took off with a polite "Have a good morning.".  
_So it's morning._  
"Please, come in."  
Adrien was very wary of this man. He had been warned about too-friendly adults since birth, and this guy definitely fit the bill. Even so, if the others, who had proven they were looking out for him, trusted him- Adrien believed he could too. He took a moment to look around the room they were in. He noticed the scrolls hanging from each of the walls, the low roof and deep purple walls.   
"If you would like to, there are cushions to your left." He looked back at Fu, who was walking ahead of him, heading to a small counter tucked away in the far corner. "I was told you speak a few languages, Adrien." Fu noted, looking over his shoulder for a moment.   
"News travels fast here." He replied shyly. "I do...sir. English and Chinese."  
Fu hummed. "That's very impressive. I assume your father taught you English."  
Adrien held his breath. "Why do you say that?"  
"Most of his business partners are Americans. The Chinese seems a bit out of place, though I approve." He chuckled.   
"I didn't know my father had business partners." Adrien forced himself to breathe again.   
"He didn't tell you?" Fu moved something around in a drawer, and Adrien leaned a bit to see what he was doing.   
"I never met him."  
Fu turned suddenly, and Adrien dropped his gaze, pretending to be interested suddenly with the pattern of the carpet under the coffee table to his left. "I suppose you didn't." He mumbled, mostly to himself. "Please have some tea, Bridgette told me you lost your voice earlier."  
"Thank you. I-I did."  
"You recover quickly." He smiled. "That's fortunate." He turned back to whatever he was doing before, and Adrien moved to the cushions. There were five different cushions, each of them looked worn and somehow knowing others had been here often enough to leave dents in their cushions made him feel safer. One was a light blue, he assumed it had been a richer color at one point in time, it looked faded, and reminded him of the small pillow that used to rest on the rocking bench in their backyard when he was a child. The sun had nearly sucked the color out of it.   
He looked back at Fu, who was busying himself with the tea, and Adrien looked back at the cushions. Another was black, surprisingly rich in pigment. He had never seen any fabric so _black_ before. He sat there, and then looked at the one next to him, a vibrant red. The one at the opposite end of the table was green, and reminded him vaguely of pea soup. He had his legs tucked underneath him, just in case he needed to get up quickly. He opened his mouth to ask Fu if he needed any help, realizing he should've asked before sitting.   
The man turned before he could say anything, and made his way quickly to the table. "You picked the black one." Fu noted.   
Adrien tensed, worried he had somehow picked the wrong one.   
"Why that one?" He sat at the green cushion, though Adrien expected the blue one, and handed him one of the small cups.   
"I like the color." He explained softly. "It's very pigmented. I guess I was kind of drawn to it."  
Fu nodded. "Do you know the symbolism behind the color black?" He put one of two cups before Adrien, and quickly, he eyed its squarish shape.  
Adrien shook his head a bit. "Evil, I've heard." He was suddenly feeling very self conscious of his choice. Fu poured some of the tea into his cup, Adrien holding it up slightly to make the task a bit easier for the man.  
"Power, elegance, formality." He added some herbs from a small pot into his own tea and moved it in small circles to infuse, then sliding the same small pot towards the center of the table, probably for Adrien to reach. "Death and evil, yes, even grief, but also strength and authority. It's not at all a bad color to be drawn to."   
Adrien hesitated, putting his hands around the cup to warm his fingers. "Why did you pick the green one?"  
Fu smiled. "It's my favorite color. It has a calm and healing energy for me." He took a sip of his tea. "It reminds me of the ocean."  
"Have you seen the ocean? In person?"  
Fu almost laughed. "Of course. I used to live by the ocean." He sighed, seeming very calm in his memory of it. "I hope that one day it will be restored to its former health."  
"How big is it?"  
"Massive. Bigger than anything you can imagine on this planet."  
Adrien's eyes went wide. "Can you see neighboring countries from the shore?"  
This time, Fu did laugh, and Adrien felt incredibly stupid. "You know who asked me that same question, years and years ago?"  
Adrien cowered a bit, drinking some of his tea. He tried to hide the jump of shock as the hot water scorched his tongue. "Who?"  
"A young woman." He looked very sad. "Amelie Aile."  
"What happened to her?"  
Fu hesitated, keeping Adrien's gaze in his own. "I want you to know that we expect you to stay here. There's no rush for you to go anywhere."  
Adrien was a bit caught off guard, by the change of topic, and the sudden intense tone he took on. "What?"  
"I don't expect you to know as we do, but it's really a warzone up there. We don't expect you to go anywhere."  
"I- thank you. What do I have to do?"  
"Could you provide information?"  
"On the Agreste's?"  
Fu frowned. "I know it feels like betrayal, we have reason to believe someone close to you may be responsible for what happened. There's a lot that your brother knew, we think he may have told you."  
"My-" no. He couldn't deny Felix was his brother.   
"I know who you are, Adrien. I don't doubt your loyalty to either of your siblings, you can help us-"  
"Either?"  
Fu narrowed his eyes.   
"I only have one sibling."  
"Are you positive?"  
Adrien nodded. Their source of information must be messed up. "I'm sure. It's just been...you won't tell anyone, will you?"  
"No." Fu leaned back a bit and sighed before taking another sip of his tea. "If they were to know, I can tell you now, they wouldn't kill you. I can think of a few who would want to, but the odds of anyone going through with it are slim to none."  
"That's surprising."  
"It is." Fu chuckled.   
"You knew my father."  
"I did." He answered simply. "Before this happened."  
"What was he like?"  
"He was kind. He was loving." Fu frowned, furrowing his brows a bit. "I think that was his downfall."  
Adrien tried hard to imagine his father as a kind and loving youth, but all he could see was the man holding a gun outwards, pointing it towards-  
"Thank you for your hospitality." He said quickly.   
Fu seemed incredibly wise, not just for his information on Adrien, but on the world as a whole. He felt like he could trust this man. He looked into the amber liquid inside of the short, handle-less cup. It was thick, maybe ceramic, and unglazed. It felt rough, _natural_ against his hands. He could see something on its surface, and for a moment, he thought there was a...thing. In the bottom of the cup, and tipped his head backwards.   
On the ceiling above them, low and dark, he saw nothing.   
He furrowed his brows and returned his gaze to the tea. _Must be something in it_.  
"I'm curious, Adrien, about your mark."  
Adrien lifted the cup to his lips, taking the moment to mull over his response. The flavor took him by surprise, something resembling honeysuckle and peaches. He drank more, too quickly, and almost gagged, but it was delicious. He hadn't had anything like it before, anything so sweet and smooth and _warm_. It filled the empty, cold corners of his chest and made him feel alive again.   
"I'm sorry." He lowered his empty cup, amazed at his own thirst. "I...that was delicious."  
Fu laughed, it was cheerful and low, the deep laugh of an old man. "I'm glad you like it!"  
"My...my mark." He cleared his throat. "It's here." He pointed to his circle, under his collarbone. "It's a hollow circle."  
"Are there any words?" Fu asked, suddenly serious.   
Adrien nodded once. "It's..." He narrowed his eyes. "It's not really important, is it?"  
Fu lifted a brow. "Why do you say that?"  
"The world went to hell for it." He answered quickly. "No one asked for this, no one chose this, but we killed each other for them. We couldn't accept each other's differences."  
"Humans have been doing that for centuries, Adrien." Fu said sadly, looking into his cup. "It's those differences that make us who we are, though. If we erase those differences, if we were all the same" he looked back at Adrien with a smile. "What's the point?"  
"The point of what?"  
Fu started to pour him another cup of tea. "I noticed you saw him. In your reflection."  
"Him?"  
"Do you believe in spirits, Adrien?"  
"Like ghosts?"  
"Like angels."  
Adrien lifted a brow and shrugged slowly. "There's no evidence against it, is there?"  
Fu smiled slightly and nodded. "Have you looked into the meaning behind your marks?"  
"I only have one." Adrien confessed. "It's just a circle."  
"But you will have more, one day." He said with absolute certainty. "When you do, if you ever want to know what they mean, I may be able to help you. Just thought I'd let you know." He took another sip of his tea, seemingly dropping the subject.   
 _Who brings up ghosts, or angels, and makes continuous hints at my mark, and then drops it?_  
"What did I see?"  
"Hm?"  
"The ghost, or, the angel, whatever it is."  
"Wayzz." He answered simply.   
"What's a Wayzz?"  
"My spirit." Another sip of her tea.   
Adrien put his hands in his lap, a bit afraid to drink anything else this man was making. "Your...spirit."  
"Yes. He doesn't show himself to just anyone. He must be very curious about you, Adrien."  
They sat in silence for a while, Adrien looked at the amber liquid in his cup. "What did you add to yours?"  
"Lavender."  
Adrien drank his, his curiosity sedated for now. The tea wasn't as hot as the first cup, but it was just as relaxing. He felt immediately that he could sleep for days.   
"They'll find something for you to do tomorrow, Adrien. Someone will be soon to find you, no doubt."  
"Do you live in this room?" Adrien asked, noticing how he spoke of himself almost as if he weren't part of the group.   
 "I do." Fu nodded again. He looked up at the door to his left and watched it open slowly. Adrien saw a familiar redhead poke his head into the room.   
Adrien stood, and Fu watched him.   
"Thank you." Adrien bowed slightly, and Fu dipped his head with a smile.   
"Have a good night, Adrien."  
He walked to the door, smiled slightly at Nathanael, and let him lead him down the hall. With the heavy click of Fu's door, Adrien snapped back to reality.   
 _This man knows me. He knows my father. My brother is gone. My father may very well be a terrorist. All of these people may have been hurt directly by him._  
"What tea did he give you?" Nathanael asked, slowing a bit to walk alongside Adrien.   
"Honeysuckle and peaches, I think." Adrien felt a bit warm just thinking about it. "It was wonderful."  
"You don't say." Nathanael's interest seemed to skyrocket as he lead them through the maze of a compound. "Master Fu has a thing for symbolism, you know. I'd look into what those mean."  
Adrien furrowed his brows, but didn't argue. It did seem like something he would do.   
"You know who you should ask," the readhead perked up a bit. "Nino."  
"Who?"  
"I think you two will get along. You'll be bunking with him tonight."   
Adrien felt a sharp pinch in his chest, the vulnerability from before had loomed over him once more. Nathanael stopped at one door, something resembling a vault. He knocked, and someone inside opened it. "Hey, dude." The boy, who looked about his age, nodded at both of them. "You're Adrien, right?"  
Adrien nodded once, turning the ring on his finger again. "Hello."   
He felt like he was intruding on someone's personal space. The boy, Nino, opened the door wider and gestured for them to come inside.   
Nathanael asked Nino to give Adrien a run-through of the rules, and after a polite 'good night', he left.   
There were five mats on the floor, three of them stacked up in the corner, two on either side of the small room. Small boxes were placed next to the two mats, a book was placed on one of them.  
"Not like your room at home?"  
Adrien hesitated, and then shook his head with a polite smile. "It sounds like total crap, but...I like it."  
Nino snorted. "What?"  
"This sounds conceited, please don't think I think highly of myself, but...there was so much stuff before. I couldn't walk around or touch anything."  
Nino cocked a brow. "Right. Well, the rules." He took a deep breath, sighed, and rubbed his hands together. "Bath, work, food, work, sleep."  
"What's the work?"  
"Everything's the work. Specific tasks come with your placement."  
"Who decides where you're placed?"  
"Everyone. We run like a democracy. Anonymous, though."  
Adrien nodded, and after a while, asked softly. "Where are you placed?"  
"Medic." Nino answered. "I cook, too."   
Adrien wasn't sure what to say. He was glad there was a medic here, it made him feel safer.   
"Do people get hurt often?"  
Nino scoffed. "We can chat more in the morning. You really should get to sleep."  
"I'm-"  
"Listen, I remember what it's like to come here alone. I remember my first night, too. The earlier you get to sleep, the better."  
"I'm sorry."  
"Nothing to apologize for." Nino's expression was blank, locking his gaze with almost glowing amber eyes. "If you need anything, though, let me know, okay?"  
He quickly retreated to his own side of the room and sat on his mat, opening the book that was on the box next to him. Adrien sat cross-legged on his own.   
"Can I ask you a symbolism question?"  
Nino hummed.   
"Peaches and honeysuckle."  
This seemed to capture his attention. "That was your tea, huh?"  
Adrien nodded. Nino returned his focus to the book in front of him. "That seems appropriate. I feel bad for you."  
After a long pause, it became clear to Adrien that he wouldn't be getting any answers from him. He sighed and stretched out on his mat, staring at the ceiling. "Why does Marinette wear war paint?"  
"All the marksmen do."  
"She's a marksman?"  
Nino hummed again. "They're kind of essential to the exploration and rescue missions."  
He crossed his hands over his stomach and focused on his breathing, trying to ease himself into sleep. "Rescue missions."  
  
  



	8. Eight

"Bath, work, food, work, sleep." Adrien reminded himself with a sigh, after what felt like _hours_ of lying awake.  
He wondered what time it was. If it was really morning, why was he supposed to sleep? Why was Nino sleeping?  
He looked over to the boy in question, who had fallen asleep with the book open, resting on his chest. He was glad his new roommate had taken off his glasses before passing out, or he would've worried about them breaking.   
Adrien had a deep sympathy for people who relied on glasses.   
He looked at the wall closest to him, on his opposite side, and followed the cracks from the floor to the ceiling. He thought that must be what water on glass looks like, and thought about the ride here. Part of him missed the car ride, the loud wind and cold rain, but security of the seat below him. He could almost hear the sound of metal crunching and folding over itself- and forced himself to think of something else, rolling onto his side and wrapping his arms around himself. When he felt the fabric of his shirt, he thought of Marinette with his jacket and groaned.   
He'd never be able to stop thinking about that moment.   
He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to imagine what Felix would tell him to do.   
_Shut up and go to sleep._  
Yeah. He would say that.   
He closed his eyes and tried to think of anything else. He thought about his house, before the Wars. He thought about the swinging bench he'd take naps on, head propped up on his mother's lap while she read, playing with his hair absentmindedly. He used to keep Sprinkles on his lap while he napped, and the weight of his companion helped keep him from rolling off of the bench. He thought about Christmas, sitting patiently in front of the tree, always edging closer to the wrapped packages when he thought no one was looking. He remembered being so confused about how Felix could nonchalantly set toys aside, and then light up when he unwrapped a book or puzzle. After that year, Felix wasn't as excited to get _any_ gifts, regardless of the page count.   
Now that he really tried to think back, Felix's demeanor had changed completely after that Christmas.   
_What did you see, Felix?_  
He heard a yawn, and opened his eyes, lying motionless. Shuffling, the book landing on the floor, the popping of joints, mumbling. "Are you still awake?"  
Adrien turned and faced Nino. "I couldn't sleep."  
"Obviously." Nino frowned. "Today's gonna be hell for you, dude."  
Adrien sighed and sat up, mussing up his hair, which had stuck flat against the side of his head in certain places.   
"Well, the bath should wake you up a bit." Nino stretched again and kicked the thin blanket back onto his mat. Adrien hadn't even noticed the blanket below him.   
"How does that work, exactly?"  
"How did it work for _you_?" Nino raised a brow.   
Adrien opened his mouth, then closed it.   
"No one will see you naked, if that's what you're worried about."  
Adrien nodded once and got up. Nino opened the door first, propped it open until Adrien's brain caught up with him. He apologized and quickly took the door, following Nino out.   
"It's safe to bet that you'll be stuck with me for a while, so if you don't see anyone who looks nice enough to ask, you can find me. I'm not hard to spot in _this_ crowd."  
He added the last part with a bit of cynicism, and Adrien cocked a brow, weighing his words with careful hesitation. "Don't punch me for asking, but you aren't the only person of color here, are you?"  
Nino looked at Adrien with an almost pitiful expression. "There's Marinette, who's half Chinese, Alya, who's-" He paused and furrowed his brows. "I think she's Latina." His tone peaked at the last word, and he looked up in thought. "Anyway, I'm Moroccan. That's it." He shrugged.   
Nino lead them down a long hallway, and Adrien wondered how the hell anyone knew where they were going in this place. "Can I ask you a super personal question?"  
Adrien frowned, Nino laughed. "You can say no, I'm honestly just curious."  
Adrien nodded weakly. "So, Felix Agreste, was he like, your friend? Or your _friend_?" The way Nino's brows shot up confused him.   
"I...worked for him. I guess you can say we were friends, though. Why'd you say it like that?"  
"Word about _you_ got around faster than anything else here." Nino took a left turn, and then an immediate right. "Pick up one of those." He pointed to a stacked pile of wide, short pots, with chubby handles and flat lids. They were a rusty color, and cool to the touch, Adrien struggled a bit to lift it and wondered what they were made of. "What the hell is in this thing?" He huffed to himself.  
Nino lifted two of them, one under each arm, leaving Adrien in shock, and a bit concerned. "Some say you're like, his adopted brother-"  
Adrien tried not to drop the pot. "Huh?"  
"Yeah, most say you're his boyfriend."  
Adrien _did_ drop the pot, and somehow it didn't break. He dodged it, thank goodness, and scrambled to pick it up. "Sorry. I'm-" He laughed "I'm not, I _wasn't_ in that kind of relationship with him."  
Nino lifted a brow and put down the pots to help him. "Dude, it's okay." He could tell Nino was trying to soothe him, and seemed genuinely concerned for Adrien at that point. "We've got a pretty diverse cast down here." He turned the pot right-side up and lifted it, giving Adrien a chance to wipe his hands across his pants. "If you _aren't_ that's okay, and if you _are_ , that's okay, too." Nino's smile was soft, completely honest, and Adrien nodded. He took the pot back, Nino picked up his own, and they continued to walk. "I know these things are heavy, I promise it's not far."  
Adrien nodded, and in a few more yards, Nino pushed through a curtained off section of the wall. Adrien followed, his face immediately blasted with heat.  
It wasn't enough to make him drop the pot again, but it made him jump. The room looked like a swimming pool, though only two other people were inside, sitting outside the water. There was a loud noise, constant, like a hush, and Adrien watched the steam roll off the water's surface as he followed Nino along its perimeter.    
"It's called a hot spring." Nino told him, setting down his own two pots, and then taking Adrien's. "The center of the planet is just magma, the heat comes through the ground and heats the water. Cool, huh?"  
Adrien's head was swimming. "Your people made this?"  
"No way," Nino scoffed. "It happens naturally. In some places, the water shoots up into the air, those are geysers."   
Adrien's jaw dropped. "This just, _happened_? On its own?"  
Nino was very obviously entertained by Adrien's lack of knowledge, but didn't tease him. "Yeah. Cool stuff, right?"  
Adrien snapped out of it, suddenly embarrassed, and cleared his throat. "Yeah."  
"Everything you need is in your pot. They're all the same, so it really doesn't matter which one you grab." Nino opened one of the two he had grabbed and took out a long piece of fabric. "You can strip over there if it makes you more comfortable." Nino pointed to a small area of the room where the wall seemed to jut outward more than the rest. "That's where people usually go, though there are a few who have been here long enough not to care." He shrugged. "It's okay to get this wet." He held up the long fabric. "The other one is to dry off."  
Adrien nodded. "Got it."  
"The steam is so thick once you're in the water, it's kind of hard to see, so don't be afraid of people checking out your ass, okay? That's what I meant when I said no one would see you naked."  
Adrien's eyes went wide, and Nino laughed. It took him a while to calm down, but when he did, he had to remove his glasses to wipe the tears away. "Okay, sorry. I mean it, though. There are things to add to the bath in here, too." He dug around and pulled out a tall bottle. "Every person to come in here pours one of these inside, it helps keep the water clean or something." He inspected the bottle a bit. "Don't ask me what's in it, but it smells awesome. Fu makes things to put in here sometimes, and if we find anything alive on the surface, he makes special things."  
Adrien opened the pot closest to him, crouching to see inside. He picked out two bottles and held them up. "What are these for?"  
"The brown one is for your hair, it feels weird, but it works well and gets the dust out. This green one..." Nino frowned. "I'm not sure. Anyway, hop to it, kiddo." Nino stretched again. "We're burnin' daylight."  
Adrien was quick to take out his own longer piece of fabric, to cover himself, and head over to the small area.   
He stood there for a while, knowing no one could see him, and leaned his head against the wall, his back to Nino and the others. Everything was happening so fast. He was tired, but not tired enough to sleep. He reluctantly peeled off his shoes and then his shirt. He noticed how much dirt and dust was sticking to him and felt his face twisting in disgust.   
He hesitated on his pants, and peered around the corner to make sure he wasn't being watched. Nino was talking to Alya, who he guessed the other pot was for, and frowned. He went back to his small area and sighed, hoping she wouldn't try to talk to him.   
He understood why she had pushed him before, but that didn't mean he appreciated it.   
_What am I feeling right now? Nothing, I think. Why am I so numb? Well that's a dumb question, look at where you are right now._ This mental argument went on for some time before he heard the sound of people talking and snapped out of it. He bundled up his clothes and wrapped the fabric around himself. It was surprisingly stretchy, in one direction, and he didn't doubt it had covered him completely, but checked again before leaving the small area, just to be safe. He felt completely and utterly naked, not just in a physical way, but in a way that made him reflexively hold his bundle of clothes over his chest, as if his heart itself were exposed.   
Nino had already changed, and Adrien tried his _very_ best not to judge him for his naked comfort in front of others.  
He carefully moved to get the bottles Nino had shown him from his own pot, ignoring the boy's conversation with Alya.   
"You seem to be adjusting well." Alya nodded at Adrien, and he lifted his gaze to her.   
He straightened up and shrugged, setting his clothes on the floor next to the pot in a neat pile. "It hasn't hit me yet." He confessed, uncorking the bottle that was to be emptied in the water.   
"He'll be a mess in no time." Nino smiled, clapping a hand over Adrien's shoulder.   
"Good thing he's with you then." Alya frowned. "I've never seen anyone have such a bad meltdown."  
Adrien stiffened. "What happened?"  
"Nothing to worry about now." Nino said quickly. "Are you gonna get in or what? You smell like Agreste."  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Adrien glared, honestly offended.   
"Famine, war, and drug money." Nino told him, his tone was joking, but his expression was serious. He walked around Adrien and started to get into the water.   
Adrien hesitated. Famine, war, and drug money. What have you been doing out there, Father?  
At the mere thought of the man, he shivered, and without really thinking, poured the contents of the tall bottle into the water. The liquid itself was clear, and smelled like salt, hitting him immediately and making him turn away with a dejected "whew!".   
He left the other bottles close to the edge of the pool, as Nino had done, and watched Alya from the corner of his eye as she went to the small area he had just been in.   
"Dude, I get you're modest, I hope you don't freak out by me saying so, but that is a _cool ass mark_."  
He touched his collarbone, somehow forgetting it was even there, but Nino was looking somewhere else.   
"Your neck, bro."  
Adrien cocked a brow and touched his throat. "My...my neck?"  
"You didn't know you got it?"  
Adrien's knees felt weak, he sat at the edge of the water, putting his legs in to adjust to the heat. "I didn't." He rubbed the skin around his neck, as if he could feel the mark there, but there was nothing.   
"It's almost like a honeycomb pattern." Nino explained, moving deeper into the water. "It looks like something I've seen, but I can't remember."  
Adrien lowered himself into the hot water and winced slightly. "I wish I could get rid of it."   
Nino's eyes went wide. "What? Why?"  
Adrien realized, after a quick once-over, that Nino had no marks at all. None he could see, anyway.  
"People went to war for these things, people died because of it. I don't want _anything_ to do with that pain."  
Nino's expression changed, something more serious. "Your soulmate, though. Isn't it somewhat comforting, just to know you have one?"  
Adrien shrugged. "It is, yeah. Unless the mark is wrong, and they've been wrong before." He put his hand over the mark under his collarbone and sunk further into the water. "I like to think I've got free will, you know? I'm tired of my whole life being planned out for me."  
Nino nodded and looked around with a sigh. "I can get behind _that_."  
There were only ten or eleven people here now, and despite how big it looked from the outside, the area seemed full now. Adrien got into the water, standing with the water at his waist. Nino suddenly got close, very close, making Adrien straighten up and stumble back a bit. His amber eyes were wide, horrified but excited. "Adrien, dude holy shit your- _Adrien_!"  
"What? What is it?"  
"You don't feel that?" Nino asked, loudly enough to attract attention. More people came to inspect the outsider, he recognized Tony and Theo among them. They all had almost the same expression. "Your mark is _growing_."  
"Jesus Christ." Tony mumbled.  
Adrien looked around himself, and there, as Nino said, across his right shoulder, his skin was darkening in patches, turning black from the inside. He rubbed at the skin, honestly feeling nothing but complete, stomach churning _disgust_.   
_Is it going to cover my whole body?_ he thought.  
"Let's not stare." Theo whispered, though in the silence of the room he might as well have just said it at full volume. He and Tony started to distract the onlookers, and Nino moved in front of Adrien, keeping their eyes off of him. "Adrien, look at me."  
He couldn't. He couldn't take his eyes from his skin, quickly darkened with a solid black honeycomb pattern, just as Nino said. "I think I'm going to be sick."  
"No you aren't. Look at me, Adrien." Nino put one hand on his other shoulder, and Adrien looked up. "You're okay."  
"I don't want it."  
"I know..." He looked away, then back at him. "We can cover it, if it makes you upset."  
Adrien's vision was blurred, and for a moment he assumed it was the heat of the water, until he felt a fat tear roll down his cheek. He wiped his eyes, feeling the now heated metal of his ring.   
_I'm here._ It seemed to say. _And you really are okay._  
Adrien took a breath to steady himself.   
"You still gonna puke?"  
Adrien shook his head softly. "I just...I wan't to clean up and get out." He closed his eyes when the room began to tilt and ripple at the edges. "Please."  
"No problem, dude. Come on." Adrien opened his eyes when he felt the cool surface of the bottle Nino had pushed onto his hand. "Do you want me to hold onto your rin-"  
"No." Adrien snapped, a bit too harshly. He immediately opened his mouth to apologize, but Nino held a hand up to stop him.   
"Don't sweat it. Just be careful not to lose it in here."  
Adrien nodded and took the bottle from Nino. He lowered himself into the water again, and with a deep breath, fingers pinching his nose closed, he let himself fall fully under the water. The heat almost burned his cheeks, but it felt good to be enveloped by something so hot. He thought about winter in their house, when Adrien would insist on propping the window open and pretending he and Felix were arctic explorers, their stuffed animals became citizens of the town he would save from the harsh, unforgiving storm. He remembered Felix finally talking some sense into him, a grumpy cat burrowed in his blankets, tucked in the corner with a book he was too cold to hold properly.  
He came up for air and sighed, wiping and scrubbing at his face. He uncorked the bottle Nino had given him and dumped the contents into his hand, feeling around for the lip of the spring and set the empty bottle there. He scrubbed at his head, and used what was left to wash off his skin. He kept his eyes closed throughout, not really wanting to think about anything but what he was doing. He _really_ didn't want to throw up in here.   
When he went under again, to rinse and comb out his hair, he let go of his nose, something he had never done before, and slowly released air before coming up again, feeling quite proud of himself for not drowning.   
When he opened his eyes, his vision was off, blurred and interrupted by long, blond strands. He pushed his hair back and took a few more breaths to keep himself clam.   
Nino  was watching him. He looked sad, and asked Adrien softly if he was okay.   
"You were under for a while."  
"Was I?" He asked.   
Nino nodded. "It does feel nice, though. Just...be careful. Don't do anything rash, okay?"  
Adrien frowned, furrowing his brows. "What do you mean?"  
Nino shook his head. "Nothin', don't worry about it."  
They stood a moment in silence before Adrien stretched, leaning back a bit. "I'm gonna go ahead."  
Nino nodded once. "I'll be out in a few, do you know the way back?"  
Adrien's expression seemed to answer the question for him, and Nino smiled. "There are arrows near the bottom of the wall, follow the white ones."  
  
  


* * *

 

 

"He was serious." There they were, white arrows, and blue ones, and green ones, and even red ones. His hair was still wet, and every now and then Adrien would have to wipe water from the back of his neck to keep his shirt from absorbing any more water. His clothes stuck to him, the cloth hadn't done a very good job at drying him, but he'd manage. He wasn't _soaking_ wet, at least.   
He heard someone speaking further down the hall and put his head down, the last thing he wanted was to be involved in anyone's business.   
He recognized Nino's door and headed straight for it.   
"I'm sick of it here, I'm sick of it up there." Someone said, in perfect Chinese.   
He hadn't even thought of Marinette or Fu before looking up, immediately confused by the familiar but out of place language.   
But there she was. She stood with her arms crossed under her chest, seemingly talking to herself, and once Adrien had stopped walking, she turned her head, her gaze fully on him.   
"Um...Hello." He said, in French.   
She narrowed her eyes, her cheeks darkening a bit.   
"Hello." She replied, her voice a bit sharp, but sweet all the same.  
Then he just stood there, like a proper idiot, and stared. She was staring, too, though, so perhaps he wasn't _really_ a proper idiot. She seemed to be searching him. "You have new marks."   
Adrien tugged his shirt closer around him, as if that would make a difference. He looked away and swallowed hard. "Yeah."  
"Did it hurt?"  
"Did yours?"  
She looked concerned, but also confused, and a little taken aback, as if he had insulted her.   
"I didn't feel it at all-" he noted quickly. "Did you feel it? When you got yours?"  
She looked further down the hallway, and then back to him. "Is Nino treating you well?"  
Adrien nodded, and she nodded back, avoiding his eyes. She turned into the room closest to her, another vault-type door, and closed it behind her.   
Marinette, he decided, was someone who commanded his attention. Not in an intentional way, she didn't go out of her way to be noticed by him. Something about who she was as a person was so magnetic, and he had no idea why.   
He must've been standing there longer than he realized, watching the floor and trying to piece things together, because suddenly Nino was next to him, asking him if he was alright. Adrien nodded and moved into the room without another word.   
Nino was dryer than he was, and if he had the energy, he would've asked what he did differently. He sat on his mat, cross legged and silent again, staring at the floor.   
"Here." Nino tossed something to him, a small cloth bag with a zipper. "I don't know if it'll cover your new mark, but the one on your chest will be gone."  
Adrien took the bag, but hesitated afterwards, not knowing what to do next. "Thank you."  
Nino hummed, and with a nod, sat on his own mat. "I wouldn't advise it, but you can skip out on finding work today."  
"Did you? When you first got here?" Adrien asked, looking up and at the boy through his lashes.   
Nino nodded weakly. "I did."  
"Who do I ask for a job, then?"  
Something in Nino's face changed, something he didn't really understand, but as soon as it appeared, it was gone. "I can take you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nino isn't Latino, he's actually Moroccan, which is news to me, but Moroccan people actually make up a huge chunk of France's population! I kind of want to assume that she and Nino are of the same ethnicity, but I could be wrong. :$ Her voice actress is latina, so I'm going with that for now.


	9. Nine

"Okay, a rundown of everyone's jobs." Nino stretched, moving out of the way of an incoming woman Adrien had never seen before, carrying a large, wicker basket. The hallway was busier than it had been only a few minutes ago, but not busy enough to make him claustrophobic. "Tony's a weapons expert, his job is pretty self explanatory."  
Adrien nodded.   
"Pros, he can make weapons out of just about everything, and can shoot your head clean off your-" he paused, cringed, and shook his head. "I'm sorry. He's a good shot. He can teach anyone how to shoot, no doubt about it."  
Adrien nodded again.   
"The cons, he's in danger. All the time, like, no shit- twenty-four seven. You take _him_ out, you take out a _massive_ part of the tactical team. From the Agreste's point of view, he's our combat backbone. He isn't the only weapons expert of course, but he's the coolest."  
Adrien tried not to think about the use of his last name and nodded yet again. Nino began to explain the role of a marksman.   
"I thought they were just precision shooters." Adrien furrowed his brows, and Nino gave a weak shrug.   
"Yes, but there's more to the role here. Marinette is a damn good shot with a sniper rifle, don't get me wrong, but staying in one place for too long is a death wish, especially with the Agreste's tech."   
"They weren't all bad, right? The Agreste's?" Adrien asked rather suddenly. Nino was clearly surprised by the idea, and hesitated for a moment before answering.   
"You're asking me. You know how weird that is, right?""  
Adrien looked away. Nino was right, it was definitely weird, but apparently the people here knew his family more than _he_ did. He nodded, a bit deflated, but nonetheless sort of excited to _do something_.   
"You got all hype just now, you feelin' okay?"  
"Yeah, I'm alright. I'm almost...eager."  
"To work?" Nino's brows show up. "Down here?"  
" _Or_ up there." Adrien corrected, lifting his gaze quickly to the uneven ceiling above them.   
Nino frowned. "Why the hell would you want to go _up_ there?"  
"I don't." He confessed. "But I don't want to be buried alive _here_ , either."  
Nino rolled his eyes, but didn't comment on his use of words. "I imagine you'll be up there soon enough, being the only person to see you-know-who and live. I mean, you lived with him, his son was pretty much your best friend. You're _incredibly_ useful."  
"I won't be forever, though." Adrien said, with a weight resting on his shoulders again. "Gabriel Agreste is dead."  
"How do you know?"   
"I heard it."  
"But did you _see a body_?"  
Adrien was silent.   
"Exactly. If being here, _and_ up there, has taught me anything, it's to always shoot twice. You never know for sure."  
Something about the statement, as macabre as it was, gave him just an ounce of hope. _Could Felix have survived that?_  
"Do you keep one job forever?" He asked.   
Nino sighed. "Sometimes. It depends. I'm a medic and cook, so I can't speak for everyone, but I imagine it's _better_ to be in one place forever."  
"Felix told me it's stupid to assume you have to be in one place doing one thing for the rest of your life. As a baby you were perfectly content shitting your pants and eating your socks. As a kid, you were totally fine with trucks and pretend space stations. Don't believe you won't continue to change as you grow up. You know?"   
"What does that mean to you now?"   
They entered a larger room, full of more people than Adrien ever would've assumed could fit in an area like this. He realized the 'vault' he was in now must've been monumental in size.   
"I want to do as much as I can to help." He looked around at all of the people, his stomach tightening. He turned the ring on his finger a few times, just to busy himself.   
"To what degree, though?" Nino had stopped walking, and though Adrien expected to be bumped into, the crowd seemed to flow around them. Adrien faced him fully, hoping his nerves didn't show in his expression.   
"Whatever necessary."  
"Would you die for someone else?" Nino narrowed his eyes.   
"It wouldn't be my first instinct, of course, but if it's necessary, I...I guess I would."  
Nino crossed his arms. "You know, if you have the time to jump in front of a bullet, the other person has time to move out of its way."  
Adrien shrugged weakly. "Not always, though."  
"It's valiant, a heroic sacrifice, but they won't let you outside with that attitude."  
Adrien cocked a brow. "I didn't say that to go outside, honestly. I just think, I mean, for the right person or people, I could stand taking a bullet."  
Nino shook his head. "I hope that changes." He started to walk again, speaking a bit louder to be heard until Adrien caught up with him in the sea of people. "You'd do better as an arrow than a target."  
"Aren't I already a target, though?"   
"Why would you be?"  
"If Gabriel Agreste really is capable of everything I'm assuming he is, worse than what I've seen him do-"  
Nino stopped dead in his tracks and turned to stare at Adrien. "What did you see him do?"  
Adrien mentally kicked himself. "There was another maid. He...he shot her."  
"Is that it?"  
Adrien nodded. "That I've _seen_ , anyway."   
Nino hesitated, looked around, and then sighed. "There's so much you've probably seen, so much you got close to without knowing."  
"I know where it is." Adrien blurted. "The compound."  
"Of course you do." Nino furrowed his brows. "But we don't have clearance to- oh come on, don't make that face."  
"What face?"  
"That one, the one you're doing right now. Like I killed your cat or something. Wait no, Jesus, I'm sorry, did you have a cat once? I didn't mean- Ugh, okay fine."  
"Fine what?" Adrien asked, confused, and reminded himself to keep his expressions in check.   
"I guess going up there would be kind of...smart. No, it's stupid. That's the dumbest idea I've ever had." He groaned and rubbed his eyes.   
Adrien thought for a moment. "Who do you talk to for permission to go outside?"  
"Me?" Nino asked, suddenly smiling. "We can't just go out whenever we want, dude. We could blow the location of the vault."  
"You've got a door up there, Nino. A strong enough wind could blow away whatever it is you put over it. And the car? Where do you hide that?"  
Nino was glaring at him. "We have ways, alright?"  
"did you just throw a sheet over the car and call it a day? Which begs the question, how do you get gasoline for it?"  
"There's a reserve here, not much at all, but enough for short trips."  
"What happens when you run out?"  
"Listen, I'm not to guy to ask about this, okay? Marinette is close to Fu, who's close to the others. You could start at the bottom and work your way up from there."  
Adrien nodded. "Got it."  
"What are we here for, again?" Nino sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Work, right. I have to get to the kitchen, I'm gonna walk you to Alix first, she can assign you wherever we need the help, for now anyway."  
Adrien nodded again. "Thank you...sorry. For the questions."  
"It's alright, I was curious about everything too, when I got here."  
Nino lead him to a small, sunken-in part of the area, and introduced him to a shorter girl, who looked about his age.   
Is everyone here so young?  
"Hello." Adrien held out a hand.   
"Hey." Alix slapped his hand, leaving him a bit confused. "I hope you like working your butt off."  
Adrien nodded. "Sure."  
"He's quiet." She frowned, looking at Nino and putting her hands on her hips.   
"For sure." Nino stretched, looking uncomfortable. "He's curious, though. I'm sure he won't be quiet for long."  
"They always are." Her frown deepened, from a playful disapproval to concern. "Get to work, fry boy. I'll take blondie from here."  
Adrien waved to Nino, who put a hand on his shoulder for reassurance before retreating into the crowd.   
"You aren't really gonna work your butt off." Alix clarified. "Just sayin'."  
"I appreciate it." Adrien smiled.   
"You'll probably hate this question as much as I did, but uh, what are you good at?"  
Crying and sleeping probably weren't good answers. "I um..." He thought carefully about his answers. "I can fence?"  
Alix's eyes blew wide. "Fence? Like, with the little swords?"  
Adrien nodded, biting back the urge to correct her.   
"Where the _hell_ did you learn to _fence_?"  
"Felix practiced with me. It was part of my job." He explained, a bit uneasily.   
"Well then, that changes things a bit." She turned to the two boys behind her. "I'm going to bring-" she turned back to Adrien. "What's your name again?"  
"Adrien."  
She nodded once and looked back. "-Adrien to Kid."  
One of the boys, much taller than Adrien, with olive skin and dark eyes, nodded to Alix, and then looked Adrien up and down in a disapproving way that made Adrien's stomach churn.   
_I shouldn't have said anything. God, I'm such an idiot, why did I say anything?_  
Alix beckoned Adrien with a tilt of her head, and lead him to a smaller hallway.   
"How many hallways are in this place?"  
"Think of an anthill." She put her hands behind her head, slowing a bit until Adrien caught up with her. "It branches off in tons of different directions."  
"How far underground does it go?"  
"I couldn't tell you, honestly. I'm usually upstairs, not much time to explore."  
"What do you do up there?"  
"Everything we can."   
Adrien frowned. Alix laughed. "We travel in groups, look through other vaults, try to find Agreste vault locations. Any information we can find, we trace it."  
"What will you do now that Gabriel's gone?"  
"His name is Gabriel? That's funny."  
"How so?"  
"Gabriel's an archangel. In the Old Testament, he serves as God's messenger, and explains Daniel's visions."  
Adrien's eyes went wide. "You've read it? Like, _actually_ read it? Where do you even _find_ a Bible nowadays?"  
"I found it in a vault a few miles out, in a toy chest." She looked ahead dreamily. "It was on the third floor of a _house_. Most of the roof had collapsed, but there was this balcony that was still stable."  
He thought about the way she described the house, how much the idea of a living space like that seemed to amaze her. "Didn't you live up there, once?"  
Alix snorted. "I was _born_ down here, bro."  
Adrien stopped walking. "No you weren't."  
Alix turned, her hands still resting against the back of her head, fingers folded together. She cocked a brow and stared at him with a long "Uhh-" before narrowing her eyes, as if he had suggested something impossible. "I was. A lot of people who live here were born here."  
"Is that the only time you've seen a real house?"  
"Don't act so surprised." Alix was glaring now, and Adrien realized he had crossed a line, immediately apologizing.   
"I'm sorry, it's hard to imagine...I'm sorry." He shook his head. "I won't bring it up again."  
"Have you?"  
"I used to, yeah. I've...I've been with the Agreste's as long as I can remember."  
"Before the Wars, too?"  
Adrien nodded. "We weren't relocated to the compound until the most recent round started."  
Alix hummed, pursing her lips, and turning, continuing to walk again. "Do you ever think about what situation you must've been in before?"  
"Of course." Adrien kept up easily, with his longer legs, despite her fast strides.   
"I'm trying to figure you out, blondie."   
Adrien held his breath. _Why did I say anything? I should've just kept my mouth shut. Adrien you **idiot**._  
"You might've been like-" She narrowed her eyes again. "-traded. Maybe your parents owed what's his name, Gabriel, a debt."  
"You think so?"  
Alix looked at him from the corners of her eyes. "Did you ever _know_ your parents?"  
Adrien hesitated. "No."  
"Bring us the boy, wipe away the debt." She mumbled. "That's tragic." She looked upward, as if thinking. "Did he give you the name Adrien?"  
"He might've." Adrien shrugged, not technically lying.   
"You can change it, you know. You're new, and he won't be able to hurt you here."  
There was a prolonged silence as Adrien let her words sink in. "I want to keep my first name."  
"Did he give you his last name?"   
Adrien's expression must've exposed more of his emotions than his silence, because immediately Alix spoke up. "You can change that, too. You're under no obligation to have any ties to that monster."  
He cringed, _hard,_ but smiled weakly as quickly as he could. "I'm considering it."  
Alix's smile was sincere, but there was still pity somewhere in there that made Adrien's throat tighten. _They'd kill me if they knew who I was. Master Fu said they wouldn't, but if it were me..._  
"Nino mentioned the arrows, right?"  
Adrien blinked away the haze that had formed over his vision and looked at the bottom of the wall. "Not really."  
She told him about the color system, and explained that though it was easy to get lost, it was just as easy to find your way if you remembered where the colors led. There was another large room that only held a few people. One of the boys there, about a head taller than Adrien, with wide, blue eyes and mousy hair, walked towards them, holding a nag over his shoulder with one hand. "Hey, Alix, and stranger." the boy smiled and offered Adrien his hand.   
Adrien gave him a firm handshake, and the boy's smile grew. The way he kept his eyes perfectly still on Adrien's face made him nervous. "I take it you're Felix's friend?"  
Adrien nodded once. "Adrien."  
Alix spoke up, making the boy, who he assumed was Kid, look away for a moment. "He can fence, I think you should give him a shot with some more combat training."  
"This soon?" Kid cocked a brow and gave Adrien a once-over. "Didn't you just get here?"  
Alix and Kid both looked at him, and Adrien took a defensive step back. "What?"  
"Plead your case, kid." Alix encouraged.   
Adrien's eyes went wide, he opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again.   
Kid crossed his arms, waiting, and the blood left Adrien's face. "I...I um. I trained with him. W-with Felix."  
This seemed to catch Kid's attention, and he narrowed his eyes. "How'd you train?"  
Adrien's brows furrowed together. "We sparred. I mean, you get suited up and just..." He made a weak swiping motion, keeping his arm close to his body.  "Yeah."   
"What move did he use often?" Kid asked.   
"Feint."  
"What's that?" Alix's brows went up. "Like, playing dead?"  
"You launch a few fake attacks to throw your opponent off guard." Adrien explained. "I mean, I think that's it, anyway. That's what he was doing."  
"What do you use often?" Kid had begun to smile, making Adrien want to hide under a rock.  
"Passata sotto."  
Kid nodded a few times, hummed what sounded like approval, and handed the bag to Alix. "I'll take 'em."  
Alix looked a bit confused, but shot Adrien a smile and thumbs up before she disappeared back into the hallway.   
"I think it's interesting that you use an evasive move as risky as passata sotto."   
Adrien wasn't sure how to respond. "I guess."  
"You ever fight with a real sword?"  
Adrien shook his head. "Do you?"  
"A little." He walked into a separate, smaller room, and Adrien followed. "We do train with them. Hand to hand combat is just as important as long distance."  
Adrien nodded once. "Do you...kill people?"  
Kid avoided his eyes. "You haven't been up there long, have you?" He took a deep breath, sighed, and exhaled heavily. "Of course not."   
He pulled a long pole from the corner of the smaller room and handed it to Adrien. "Here."  
"What do I do with this?"  
"For today, you'll train."  
Adrien tried not to look confused, taking the surprisingly heavy pole in his hands without a word.   
"I know, it's nothing like fencing, but if you passata sotto often, you should learn some more defensive techniques."  
"You want me to fence with a pole?" Adrien asked, realizing he'd rather ask questions and be annoying than stand in silence and be confused.   
"No. I want you to spar with a bo staff." He took another pole and left the room. "Come on, kid."  
In any other situation, Adrien would've asked Kid for his age, and tell him _not_ to call him a kid, but he was hardly in the right setting for that.   
Adrien was stuck here, with nice people, and a few who _knew_ who he was and wanted to protect him, but more who didn't know and might try to strangle him in his sleep if they did know. He was a dead man even up _there_. He had to comply. He had to blend in.  
Kid called for Adrien again, in a sing-song voice, and the blond jumped, following after him with the pole held close to his chest. Kid was standing in the middle of the room, one hand on his hip, the other holding the bar. "Ready?"

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Oh man, okay. I'm writing it. I'll try to keep this from dragging on for too long. Thanks to marinetteth1nks for totally destroying my emotions with that thing I won't talk about because spoilers, and felix_agreste, a.k.a Angst Prince of Sin, for making me cry so damn much. If you aren't following them on Twitter by now you're Twitter-ing wrong.  
> Also- the quote Mama Agreste says in the beginning is by Tumblr user 8bit-ghost.


End file.
